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THE 



BI-CENTENNIAL BOOK 



M A L D E N 



CONTAINING THE 



ORATION AND POEM 

DELIVERED ON THE TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE 

INCORPORATION OF THE TOWN, 

> 

MAY 23, 1849 ! 

■ 

WITH OTHER PROCEEDINGS ON THAT DAY ; AND MATTERS PERTAINING 
TO THE HISTORY OF THE PLACE. 

?^ 

c >* 

r 

Children's children are the crown of old men ; 
And the glory of children are their fathers. 

Prov. xvii. 6. 



PUBLISHED FOR THE CITIZENS OF MALDETT. 

BOSTON: 

PRINTED BY GEO. C. RAND & CO. 

NO. 3 CORNHILL. 

1850. 



^ 



12.2., 110 




-*--k 



PREFACE. 



It is now " a year and a day " since the celebration, 
"whose happy memories this book is designed to commem- 
orate, was held amid enthusiastic festivities. Had the 
duty of preparing this " Bi-Centennial Book " been as- 
signed to gentlemen of leisure, it would have remained at 
least nine years in embryo ; — but as the task was exacted 
of men notoriously oppressed with other and professional 
duties, they were obliged to obtain as speedy a deliver- 
ance as they could. Though the delay may seem long to 
such as are not acquainted with the perplexities and dif- 
ficulties which attend the collection, decyphering, explain- 
ing, reconciling, arranging and transcribing a mass of old, 
scattered and defective documents, it is hoped that the 
" benevolent reader," so called, will own, on perusal, that 
" patient waiters are no losers." Had the Committee of 
Publication been indulged with more time and money, 
they could have made the work more complete and satis- 
factory to the critical antiquarian, ever greedy of names 
and dates, and ever ravenous for musty documents. It 
is scarcely to be expected that such formidable censors 
3 



will deign to smile either approvingly or compassionately 
upon these pages ; yet it is hoped that the general reader 
■will find them neither dull nor uninstructive. 

The labors of the Committee have been much aided by 
the ready and generous assistance of several gentlemen, 
who are " experts " in the antiquities and genealogies 
of New England. Among others, grateful acknowledg- 
ments are due to Charles Ewer, Esq., of Boston, for 
many "Wigglesworth manuscripts ; to Mr. Ralph Waldo 
Emerson, of Concord ; to Rev. Aaron Green, of Andover ; 
to Samuel Andrews, Esq., of Boston; to Mr. James D. 
Green, Dr. T. "W. Harris, and Rev. Thomas Whittemore, 
of Cambridge ; and to Mr. T. B. Wyman, Jr., of Charles- 
town. 

It was the purpose of the Committee, that a large part 
of the volume should be occupied with the genealogies of 
the old Maiden families ; but it soon became evident, that 
full justice to this subject would require half a dozen such 
volumes as this, and years of toilsome research in prepar- 
ing them. As it is, a few notices of some families, and of 
some of the first settlers of the town, such as could be 
procured without a further retardation of the booh, are 
given, in the hope and desire that they may " serve as 
stepping stones" to those who would hereafter reach more 
full and satisfactory information. 

The Committee of Publication would close their duty 
in the words of the writer of the Book of Maccabees ; — 



" Considering the infinite number, and the difficulty which 
they find that desire to look into the narrations of the 
story, for the variety of the matter, we have been careful, 
that they that will read might have delight, and that they 
that are desirous to commit to memory might have ease, 
and that all into whose hands it comes might have profit. 
Therefore to us, that have taken upon us this painful 
labor of abridging, it was not easy, but a matter of sweat 
and watching ; even as it is no ease unto him that pre- 
pareth a banquet, and seeketh the benefit of others ; 
yet for the pleasuring of many, we undertake gladly this 
great pains." 

A. W. McClure, 
J. G. Adams, 
Wm. H. Richardson, Jr? 
Malden, May 24, 1850. 



CONTENTS. 



Pago. 

Oration, 11 

Poem, 63 

The Celebration, 83 

Records of the Committee of Arrangements, 105 

Committee's Evening Festival, 116 

Historical Items, 122 

Ancient Ministry of Malden, 133 

Distinguished Citizens, 168 

Miscellaneous Matters, 183 

Educational, 183 

Ecclesiastical, 189 

Church Officers, 193 

Meeting-House and Appendages, 194 

Population, 198 

Taxation, 200 

Subsistence, 201 

Pauperism, 202 

Roads and Bridges, 203 

Town Lines, 205 

Political Matters, 205 

Town Officers, 212 

Military Matters, 215 

Manners and Customs, 215 

Maiden Centre Fifty Years ago, and now, 223 

Religious Societies, 226 

Old Malden Families, 230 

7 



AN 



ORATION 

DELIVERED AT MALDEN, 



TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY 

OF THE 

INCORPORATION OF THE TOWN, 
MAY 23, 1849. 



BY JAMES D. GREEN. 



ORATION. 



Friends and Fellow Citizens : 

It accords well with the best feelings of our nature to 
meet, as we do to-day, to commemorate our Fathers. 
Two hundred years ago they laid here the " first founda- 
tion stones" of the town of Maiden. Such is the expres- 
sion of Edward Johnson, of Woburn, who, in his " History 
of New England," published in London in 1654,* says, 
that these foundation stones were " laid by certain per- 
sons who issued out of Charlestown ; and, indeed," he 
adds, Maiden " had her whole structure within the bounds 
of this more elder town, being severed, by the broad spread- 
ing river of Mistick, the one from the other, whose trouble- 
some passage caused the people on the north side of the 
river to plead for town privileges within themselves ; — 
which accordingly was granted them." The brief record of 
what may be regarded as the act of incorporation by the 
General Court is as follows : " In answer to the petition of 
several inhabitants of Mistick side, their request is granted, 
viz. to be a distinct town of themselves, and the name 
thereof to be Maulden." 

It is no unreasonable presumption, that it was for the 
purpose of being reminded here, in what was then a wil- 

* Chap. vii. p. 211. 



12 

derness, of that spot in the parent country from which 
they had removed, and which now lay three thousand 
miles behind them, that the early settlers of this town gave 
to it the name of Maiden. 

It is the name of a town in England, in the county of 
Essex, about thirty-eight miles from London, which, if we 
take the authority of Camden as our guide,* is identical with 
the ancient Camalodunum, once the capital of Cunobeline, 
a powerful old British king, and the seat of the first Ro- 
man colony in the Island. About the middle of the first 
century, it was made by the Emperor Claudius a place of 
great magnificence and beauty. The monuments, how- 
ever, of Roman grandeur, by which it was distinguished, 
being, in the eyes of the native Britons, monuments of 
their subjection, were suffered by them to be of no long 
continuance. They were utterly demolished by the peo- 
ple, when they rose to throw off the Roman yoke ; and 
the English Maiden of the present day, though a town of 
some importance, is said to retain few or no vestiges of 
its ancient renown. 

The affections of the first planters of New England still 
clung, as was natural, to the soil of their nativity. They 
gave utterance, at parting, to the emotions of the heart, 
when they said, " farewell, dear England ; " and they 
designed, by the names they bestowed on the places of 
their abode, in this land of their adoption, to keep alive in 
their breasts the tender associations of home. 

Of the first settlers of this town I now address many of 
the lineal descendants. As I turn the leaves of the early 
records, and read there, continually occurring, such names 
as Hill, Wait, Sprague, Sargent, Lynde, Howard, Nichols, 

* Camden's Britannia, edit. 1772, Vol. I. p. 353. 



13 

Upham, Dexter, Tufts, Pratt, Bucknam, with my own, and 
others too numerous to mention, I see that the original 
families have sent down their representatives ; that their 
sons and daughters are still living here, — constituting, I 
know not what proportion, hut probably a large majority, 
of the present population of the town. 

Thus descended, it would be strange, indeed, did we 
not feel an interest in the inquiry, "Who were our fathers ? 
and Why did they come to settle here ? 

In pursuing this inquiry a reasonable curiosity will find 
enough to satisfy it. No cloud of uncertainty envelopes 
the subject. As a people, a constituent part of a com- 
monwealth, or a community of nations, we have not to go 
back for our origin to a period of ignorance and semi-bar- 
barism, when there were no letters, no records, but such 
as existed in the memory of uncivilized men, — vague and 
varying traditions handed down from father to son, through 
successive generations. We have our literal records, — 
family, town, and state records, — of all transactions in- 
teresting and important. Some of the leading founders 
of the colony kept a minute journal of occurrences from 
day to day. Such was kept by John Winthrop, the Father 
of the colony, from the time of his embarkation on board 
the Arbella, " riding at the Cowes, near the Isle of 
Wight," to 1649, the year when Maiden took its place 
among the towns of the rising State. 

To go further back, — no obscurity hangs over the ori- 
gin of that great movement of the public mind, in England, 
which led, in the early part of the seventeenth century, 
first to the colonization of this country, and next to the 
establishment at home of the constitutional and parlia- 



14 

mentary rights of the people. It forms a portion of history 
so written as never to be expunged. 

Our Fathers were Puritans. Let this be the enduring 
record of their fame. They were a class of men never to 
be spoken of but with honor, for what they have done and 
suffered for the human race. They constituted a class, to 
whom we may apply the language of Macaulay,* and 
say they were " men of generous natures," who made it 
" a point of conscience and of honor," " to sacrifice their 
country to their religion." Nay, more, they believed it a 
call of God, to sacrifice their lives to their religion. The 
first martyrs to the English Reformation, — Rogers, who 
was burned at Smithfield, in the reign of Mary, and 
Hooper, who was burned at Glocester, — were both Puri- 
tans. So were Barrow and Greenwood, who, though pro- 
fessing, like the other Puritans, their loyalty to Elizabeth, 
were hanged at Tyburn. They were a class of men, who 
made no compromise between duty and policy, between 
conscience and expediency. It was no half-way reform, 
as was aimed at by the English prelacy, but a " root and 
branch " operation, which they thought needed, to cure 
the disorders of the Church and State. 

Many of them had been in Germany and Switzerland, 
that they might breathe a freer and a purer air, and there 
they held sweet communion with brethren in the faith. 
Emancipated from the spiritual authority of Rome, pro- 
foundly venerated as it had been for its antiquity, and its 
claims to a direct apostolic succession, it was not to have 
been expected that they would bow in submission to a 
mere assumption of that authority, — an upstart and mock 
supremacy, which they had themselves seen usurped for 
* Historv of F.nflnncl. Butler's "° 1 " 1 edit Vol, I, p. 52. See note A 



15 

no other purpose, at the time, than the gratification of 
a selfish Sovereign's sensuality. 

The power of the throne being applied to uphold \he 
supremacy of the English church, and to compel uniformity 
of faith and practice, it was by the operation of causes 
perfectly natural that Puritans became Republicans. In 
defiance of all the constitutional safeguards for the protec- 
tion of the British subject, the Star-Chamber and High 
Commission Courts were made the instruments of oppres- 
sion. Oppression did but increase their number. Sir 
Walter Raleigh announced in Parliament, in 1593, that 
the Puritans were not less in number than twenty thou- 
sand.* In 1604, King James I. declared, " I will make 
them conform, or I will harry them out of the land."f 
And, under Charles I., who is said to have been " im- 
pelled by an incurable propensity to dark and crooked 
ways,"$ and who ventured on the hazardous experiment 
of governing for eleven years without a parliament, a 
tyranny was established, both in the State and Church, to 
which the Spanish Inquisition affords the only parallel. 

Hunted up by search warrants, deprived of their livings, 
hundreds thrown into prison, their families made dependent, 
their own lives at the mercy of a tribunal, whose forms of 
proceeding were guided by the will of a vindictive primate 
in defiance of all law, large numbers of the Puritans made 
up their minds to bid a final farewell to England. Of 
them were many, who had been educated in the Universi- 
ties ; ministers, who, in learning, were not excelled by any 
in the land ; merchants possessed of wealth ; some who 
were of noble birth, and accustomed to the refinements of 

* Neat's History of the Puritans, Vol. I. p. 516. 
t Ibid, Vol. II. p. 44. t Macaulay, Vol. I. p. 67. 



16 

the best society ; the great body of them intelligent and 
substantial yeomen, possessing, if not nobility of title, 
what is of infinitely greater worth, true nobility of soul ; 
and all " stout-hearted and God-fearing men. " In 
their conceptions of liberty, civil and religious, they were 
far in advance of their age. They came to these shores 
to enjoy, unmolested, their religion ; to found in this wil- 
derness a Christian Commonwealth, in which every voter 
should be a freeman, and every freeman a church-member. 
Their souls swelled with the great idea. Difficulty, dan- 
ger, loss of country, perils by sea, an untried climate, and 
savage foes, all were of small account in the minds of men, 
who believed they were called of God to plant the church 
in the wilderness, and who felt inspired by the conscious- 
ness, as if from " some superior instinct," that they and 
their posterity were destined to be free. 

In 1606, by letters patent from the king, James I., two 
companies of merchants, with some gentlemen and knights, 
had obtained a grant of all that portion of North America, 
which lay between the 34th and 45th parallels of latitude, 
and extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean. 
This continent being then almost wholly unexplored, no 
idea had been formed in any mind approximating to the 
magnitude of the grant. The object of the crown was 
the extension of British sovereignty, and, of the two corpo- 
rations, sales of land warrants, and colonization for purposes 
of trade. Under one of these companies the first colony 
was planted in Virginia, in 1607, with a result but little 
answering to the expectation. Other attempts, successively 
made, proved entirely abortive. A higher than any mere 
worldly object was necessary for a successful colonization 
of the country. 



17 

The first company of Pilgrims, who came over in the 
Mayflower, in 1620, had obtained a patent from the Vir- 
ginia company, but coming farther to the North than the 
limits of the company extended, further even than they 
themselves designed, no benefit accrued to them from the 
patent. Arrived within the Cape, and embraced by its 
extended arm, they " solemnly and mutually, in the pres- 
ence of God and of one another, covenant and combine " 
themselves " together into a civil body politic, " for the 
better attainment of their ends, and for the enactment of 
" such just and equal laws, as shall be most meet for the 
general good." They entered into a compact of govern- 
ment, which forms, in the judgment of Mr. Justice Story,* 
" if not the first, at least the best authenticated case of an 
original social contract for the establishment of a nation, 
which is to be found in the annals of the world." It was 
a practical realization of what till then had been a pleasing 
philosophic theory. Having signed this voluntary com- 
pact, they proceeded to explore the coast, landed, and 
erected, in haste, their rude habitations in the midst of 
winter; and, in affectionate remembrance of the town in 
their native country, from which they last departed, they 
gave to the place the name of Plymouth. Thus was 
planted by the Puritan Pilgrims the first colony in New 
England. 

The settlement of the Massachusetts Colony, to which 
our ancestors belonged, was a few years later. Encouraged 
by the success of the Plymouth Colony, and their exemp- 
tion from the persecution which was still carried on at 
home with unrelenting severity, they made application to 
the Northern corporation, and obtained a grant, in 1G28, 
* Commentaries on the Constitution, Vol. I. p. 37. 



18 

of all the territory which is included between two lines, 
drawn, the one three miles south of Charles river, and 
the other three miles north of the Merrimack, and extend- 
ing from sea to sea. The next year a charter was obtained 
from the crown, confirming the grant, creating the asso- 
ciates a body politic, and giving them, — was it not in an 
unguarde'd moment on the part of Charles ? — powers of 
government, and liberties and privileges most ample. 
Matthew Cradock was chosen by the company their first 
Governor, and the certificate of his oath of office appended 
to the charter. 

A small company, under the intrepid Endicott, had 
been sent over to begin the plantation at Nahumkeik, now 
Salem, and make preparations for the settlement of the 
Colony. Several persons, * with his consent, travelled 
through the woods about twelve miles in a westerly direc- 
tion, and, coming to a neck of land, called Mishawum, 
between the Charles and the Mystic rivers, which was 
" full of Indians, called Aberginians ; " they obtained con- 
sent of their Sagamore and settled there. Soon after, 
they gave to the place of their settlement the name of 
Charlestown. 

A second company of about three hundred and fifty 
persons, in six vessels, with one hundred and fifteen head 
of cattle, also, cannon, small arms, and ammunition, and 
all the necessaries for a settlement, soon followed Endicott 
to Salem. Several ministers of eminence and piety came 
over in this company. About one third of the whole num- 
ber proceeded to Charlestown. 

Meanwhile a measure was resolved on by the corpora- 
tion in England, which was of the utmost importance to 
* See Noi B 



19 

the Colony. The Royal Charter gave full legislative and 
executive authority, not to the emigrants in Massachusetts, 
but to the Company in England, who would thus exercise 
the whole power of government over the Colony, three 
thousand miles distant. From this mode of administering 
affairs but little benefit could be expected. The question 
therefore presented itself, — it was conceived and magnani- 
mously proposed by Cradock himself,* — and, upon the best 
legal advice, it was decided, Aug. 29, 1G29, to transfer 
the charter with the emigrants, in other words, to consti 
tute the Colony itself the company possessing full powers 
of government from the crown. On this condition, " sev- 
eral gentlemen of figure and estate," such as John 
Winthrop, Thomas Dudley, Isaac Johnson, Sir Richard 
Saltonstall, " and divers others, who were dissatisfied with 
the arbitrary proceedings both in church and state," f had 
signified their purpose to emigrate ; and this purpose they 
now carried into execution. 

At a meeting of the company, held Oct. 20th, Cradock 
being too old to emigrate, :£ John Winthrop was elected 
Governor, with a deputy, and eighteen assistants, and 
preparations were hastened for a large embarkation. 
Fifteen hundred persons, in seventeen ships, § fitted out 
at an expense of more than £ 21,000 sterling, passed 
over the Atlantic in 1630, most of them in company with 
Winthrop and the charter, to settle in Massachusetts Bay. 
Of these emigrants how just is the description given by 
Bancroft, in his History of the United States ! " Many of 

* Prince's New England Chronology, p. 189, sq. 

t Hutchinson's Hist. Mass., Vol. I. p. 12. Hutchinson's Coll, p. 25, sq. 

t Modern Universal Hist., Vol. XXXIX. p. 279. 

$ Prince says twelve. Chronology, p. 240. sq. 



20 

them were men of high endowments, large fortune, and the 
best education ; scholars well versed in all the learning of 
the times ; clergymen who ranked among the most eloquent 
and pious in the realm." " The land was planted with a 
noble vine, wholly of the right seed. Religion did not 
expel the feelings of nature : before leaving Yarmouth, 
they published to the world the grounds of their removal, 
and bade an affectionate farewell to the Church of Eng- 
land, and to the land of their nativity. ' Our hearts,' say 
they, ' shall be fountains of tears for your everlasting 
welfare, when we shall be in our poor cottages in the wil- 
derness.'" * 

Such were the feelings with which they embarked ; but 
how sad a state of things they were to witness on their 
arrival at the infant settlement no one had imagined. 
Nearly one hundred of the Colony had perished the pre- 
ceding winter. Among them was Higginson, a graduate 
of Emanuel College, the faithful and devoted minister of 
the church of Salem, — the first settled minister of the 
Colony. Many of the living were in a sickly and suffer- 
ing condition, and nearly all were destitute of necessary 
supplies. The faith and fortitude of the new comers were 
now to be subjected to a severe trial. No time was to be 
lost in determining their places of settlement. The har- 
bors and rivers, the Charles and the Mystic, were explored. 
The Governor and several of the chartered Company 
pitched upon Charlestown as their place of settlement, 
and " the multitude set up cottages, booths and tents, 
about the town hill." f Sickness, however, had already 

* Bancroft's History U. S., Vol. I. p. 355. " Humble Request" of the 
Company, in Young's Chronicles of Mass., p. 295 - 298. See Note C. 
t Prince's Chronology, p. 241. See Note D. 



21 

begun among them ; brought on in many cases by long 
and close confinement on ship board, and in others by ex- 
posure, in consequence of imperfect shelter, to a climate, 
to which they were unaccustomed, and which is subject to 
sudden and extreme vicissitudes. Such, especially, as 
had been habituated, at home, to comfort and even luxury 
were unable to withstand the trial. Delicate woman 
sunk down into the grave. The Lady Arbella Johnson, 
" celebrated for her many virtues," who had come, in the 
language of an early chronicler,* " from a paradise of 
plenty and pleasure, in the family of a noble Earl, into 
a wilderness of wants, " unable to support the hard- 
ships of her situation, ended her clays, soon after her 
arrival, at Salem, and was there buried, where no stone 
has ever marked her grave. Her husband, for wisdom and 
piety esteemed as one of the first in the Colony, called by 
Dudley, f at the time, " the greatest furtherer of this 
plantation," borne down by his sorrow, survived her but 
a few weeks, and died at Boston. " He was," says Win- 
throp, " a holy man and wise, and died in sweet peace, 
leaving some part of his substance to the Colony." £ 
Around the place of his interment was formed the first 
burial ground ; the one that adjoins the Stone Chapel. It 
has been said that he was mainly instrumental in causing 
the settlement of Boston, and its selection as the metrop- 
olis. One after another of the settlers, almost daily, 
dropped away. Not less than two hundred died before win- 
ter. Some, it is true, of weaker faith or less fortitude, re- 
turned, disheartened, to England ; but, as for the rest, their 
sufferings only added new power to their faith and fortitude. 

* Hubbard. t Letter to the Countess of Lincoln. 
J Savage's Winthrop, Vol. I. p. 34. 



22 

In the midst of these trials, alarm was created by the 
report of a combination among the aborigines to cut them 
off, or drive them from the country. By the ordering of 
Providence, in mercy to the Colony, a fatal malady so 
reduced their enemies as to oblige them, if they had 
entertained, to abandon the design. So great mortality, 
indeed, had spread among the Indians a few years before 
the Pilgrims came, as to break down the strength of 
several of the tribes in the Massachusetts Bay. Numerous 
and warlike tribes remained, as the Narragansetts, Pe- 
quods, and others ; but they were somewhat remote : the 
day had not come for conflict with them. 

Here it is proper to remark, that the principle, by 
which the founders of the Colony were uniformly gov- 
erned, of recognizing the Indians' title to the soil, and 
obtaining from them a fair relinquishment, has not been 
sufficiently understood. Positive instructions were given 
to Endicott by the company in England, immediately after 
they had obtained the royal charter, that, " if any of the 
salvages pretend right of inheritance to all or any part of 
the lands granted in our patent, we pray you endeavor to 
purchase their title, that we may avoid the least scruple 
of intrusion." * And, again, it is particularly enjoined, 
that " publication be made that no wrong or injury be 
offered, by any of our people, to the natives." f The 
memory of William Penn is held in lasting honor for his 
pacific policy towards the Indians ; but half a century 
before he occupied the banks of the Delaware, the Colo- 
nists of Massachusetts Bay proclaimed the principle as 
their own, — and where is the instance of a departure from 

* Company's Instructions, in Young's Chronicles of Mass., p. 159. 
tlbid, p. 172. 



23 

it ? — to take no lands from the natives except by fair 
purchase. The instructions to Endicott were faithfully 
carried out. To this point we have the testimony of 
a most accurate historian, that "the first settlers of the 
Massachusetts and Plymouth made conscience of paying 
the natives, to their satisfaction, for all parts of the terri- 
tory which were not depopulated, or deserted and left 
without a claimer." * Hostility with the Indians was 
occasioned by other causes, springing, sometimes, from 
private quarrels having no reference to land titles, and 
instigated, at others, by enemies, open or concealed, to 
the principles and success of the Colony. 

Besides Salem, Charlestown and Boston, settlements 
were made at Dorchester, Roxbury, "Watertown, Newtown 
or Cambridge, and a few other places. To the excellent 
and honored Governor Winthrop was granted the farm, 
which, from that day to this, has been called the " Ten 
Hills," on the South side of Mystic river ; and to 
Matthew Cradock, the first Governor under the charter, 
who, though not coming himself, had largely adventured 
in the plantation, and had sent over agents and servants, 
was granted a tract of land containing about twenty-five 
hundred acres, which has been supposed by some to 
have been within the limits of the present town of Maiden, f 
This is undoubtedly a mistake. It was the eastern por- 
tion of the present town of Medford, extending from the 
river Mystic across the plains to the hills upon the north ; 
on part of which land was " empaled," by Cradock's agents, 

* Hutchinson's Massachusetts Bay, Vol. II. p. 266. 

t Savage's Note on Winthrop. Young's Chronicles, p. 313: Note. 4. 
Dr. Young, singularly enough, refers to the " very thorough note " of 
Frothingham, in History of Charlestown, p. 89-93, which proves Cra- 
dock's plantation to have been in Medford. 



21 

a " park for deer," and, on another, ship building was com- 
menced, and prosecuted with success, at a very early day. 

For most of the winter succeeding the arrival of Win- 
throp and the fleet, destitution and suffering among the 
colonists continued ; the cold proved extreme ; provisions 
were scanty ; the poor were wretchedly lodged ; " many 
were obliged to live upon clams, muscles and other shell fish, 
with ground nuts and acorns instead of bread ; " * but still, 
under these great deprivations, they were able to thanlc God, 
" who had given them to suck of the abundance of the seas, 
and of treasure hid in the sands." f Having appointed a 
fast, and a vessel arriving, with provisions, a short time be- 
fore the day, " they turned their fast into a thanksgiving." 

The succeeding year proved favorable to the Colonists. 
The scarcity they had experienced induced greater efforts 
at tillage ; the season was propitious ; the harvest abun- 
dant. Notwithstanding all disasters, the Colony increased 
and prospered. Additions were made to the number of 
settlers by every arrival. In 1633, the emigration from 
England to Massachusetts became so large as to create 
alarm in the Government, and call forth an order of the 
king, in council, to arrest it. The tide may, for a short 
time, have been checked a little, but the effort to stop it 
was of no avail. Vessels continued to arrive here all 
summer ; " twelve or fourteen in a month." The eminent 
ministers, Cotton, Hooker, and Stone, arrived this year. 
In 1635, came over a fleet of twenty vessels, bringing 
three thousand colonists ; among the number were eleven 
ministers, and two individuals afterwards conspicuous as 
martyrs to the cause of English liberty, — Hugh Peters 
and Sir Henry Vane. 

* Hutchinson's Hist. Mass., Vol. I. p. 23. t Ibid. 



25 

The number of freemen in the Colony having so in- 
creased as to render it " impracticable to debate and 
determine matters in a body," * the towns agreed, as early 
as 1634, to send deputies to a General Court, and thus 
was established the Representative branch of the Legisla- 
ture, which soon after came to constitute a distinct and 
separate House, having a negative upon the Magistrates. 

But I must pass more rapidly on. The Governor and 
assistants were chosen by the votes of the whole body of 
the freemen, and, by these votes, the wise and faithful 
Winthrop was re-elected, from year to year, to the 
chief magistracy, with now and then an intermission de- 
signed principally to guard against a precedent, which 
might lead to a Governor for life ; with a few intermis- 
sions, he was continued in the office, from the time he 
came over with the charter, to 1649, the year when he 
died, worn out by the cares of the infant Commonwealth, 
and severe personal and private trials ; worn out by care 
and trial, though blessed beyond most men, in being not 
only the " father of the Colony," but the founder of a 
family honorably distinguished in each generation, and 
having a representative in our day to preside over the 
councils of the Nation. ( 

During the above period of nineteen years, between the 
first settlement of Charlestown and the incorporation of 
the town of Maiden, the greatest obstacles to the success 
of the Colony had been overcome. That, in the many 
severe trials to which they were at times subjected, in the 
difficult, and delicate, and complicated questions presented 
for their adjudication, the Colonists should always have 
acted with an intelligence, a wisdom, and an enlarged 

Hutchinson's Hist. Mags.,Vol. I. p. 36. 
3 



26 

charity, two centuries in advance of the most enlightened 
nation in the world, would hardly seem to be a very rea- 
sonable expectation. Yet the censures which have so 
often been cast upon the Puritan founders of New Eng- 
land have implied as much ; nay, more, they have implied, 
on the part of their authors, a misapprehension, to use the 
mildest term, of the true merits of the question, — of the 
substantial facts in the case. Having been persecuted at 
home, and driven to seek an asylum here, our ancestors 
had the right, nay, it was their duty, to adopt the measures 
which were necessary to protect themselves ; to guard 
against secret as well as open enemies ; against intruders 
and revilers, whose insidious purpose was to break down the 
authority of the magistrates, destroy the characters and 
influence of the clergy, interrupt public worship on the 
Lord's Day, outrage the moral sense and disturb the peace 
of society. No harsh measures were resorted to whenever 
mildness would avail. But, with those, who, after repeated 
admonition, obstinately persisted in obtruding themselves, 
and setting all authority and the moral sentiment of the 
community at defiance, our fathers were compelled, by the 
necessity of self-protection, to deal with a strong hand. 

In the midst of these difficulties, the danger was, at 
times, imminent, of a revocation of the charter ; special 
commissioners being appointed to regulate the affairs of 
the Colony, and a General Governor being talked of to 
be in the interest of the Crown. And here was afforded 
an early opportunity for the display of the independent 
spirit of the colonists. Indications were exhibited, too 
plainly to be mistaken, that in such measures they would 
not tamely acquiesce. Fortunately the experiment was 
not attempted ; King Charles himself becoming so involved 



27 

in disputes with his people and parliament as to be obliged 
to let the Colony alone. To let the Colony alone, — 
this was all that the colonists desired. They asked no 
favor of the royal government ; or no other than the favor 
of neglect. They had resources of their own, sufficient 
for their reliance. They had come to plant and settle 
here, wholly at their own cost ; and, left to themselves, 
they were just beginning, under the smiles of heaven, to 
make the wilderness and the solitary place to be glad, and 
the desert to rejoice and blossom as the rose. 

In the first ten years, twenty-one thousand two hundred 
settlers had arrived ; or about four thousand families. 
They came in one hundred and ninety-eight vessels ; and 
it seems a remarkable providence, that, out of the whole 
number which sailed, only a single one was lost. They 
came at their own charges. The cost of the transporta- 
tion, with " their goods, the stock of cattle, provisions 
until they could support themselves, necessaries for build- 
ing, artillery, arms and ammunition," * has been estimated, 
at what was called a " modest computation," at X 192,000 
sterling, or $853,333. This is exclusive of what was 
paid for the original patent, said to have been X2,000,f 
and of all that was paid " to the Sachems of the country." 

Under the hand of industrious labor, — on land which the 
occupants held by no feudal tenure, land which they could 
call their own, the fee being in themselves, their heirs and 
assigns, forever, — the face of nature was undergoing a 
rapid change ; while civil and religious liberty struck its 
roots deep into a soil congenial to its growth, was nurtured 
by the free school and the independent church, and has 

* Hutchinson's Hist. Mass., Vol. I. p. 93, note f. 
t Ibid, Vol. H. p. 1 



28 

continued, under a favoring providence, to grow with a 
strong trunk, and to send forth its branches to every quar- 
ter under heaven ; and it is our fervent prayer that " the 
leaves of this tree may be for the healing of the nations." 

Before 1649, nearly fifty towns had been settled in the 
Colony ; twenty-seven churches had been gathered ; the 
rude huts and thatched cottages of the early planters had 
given place to substantial and comfortable dwellings ; the 
land was made to yield more than was required for the 
sustenance of the inhabitants ; a trade sprung up with the 
West India Islands, and other places, from which there 
was profitable return ; the furs obtained from the natives 
were exchanged for foreign manufactures ; ship building 
was commenced and prosecuted with spirit and success ; 
and navigation, commerce, and the fisheries, displayed to 
the admiring world the intelligence and enterprise of the 
Puritan Colony. 

That the rapid growth of the settlement and its advance 
over the country should have excited deep concern, in the 
bosoms of the native proprietors of the soil, was perfectly 
natural. Sagacious chieftains meditated the means by 
which they might check the intruders, or drive them oft' 
from their hunting grounds. In this state of feeling col- 
lision on the borders was hardly to have been avoided. 
Atrocities were sometimes perpetrated. The most formi- 
dable and hostile tribe was the Pequods, whose strength 
lay in the south-eastern part of Connecticut, and consisted 
of seven hundred warriors, who had made up their minds 
for aggressive measures. The few towns, which had just 
been settled in their vicinity by those who Bad removed 
from Massachusetts, were exposed to extreme danger, if 
not total destruction. A military force was promptly or- 



29 

ganized and sent against them. Their fort, surrounded by 
feeble rushwork palisades, was surprised and taken by 
assault, at early dawn ; their wigwams were set on fire ; a 
terrible carnage followed ; hundreds of Indians perished ; 
their settlements were broken up ; and, of the survivors, 
some were captured, while the rest were incorporated with 
other tribes. As a separate tribe the Pequods were ex- 
tinct. It was a fearful demonstration, at that early day, — 
only seven years after the settlement of Charlestown, — of 
the efficiency of the English arms, which filled the savages 
with awe, and secured to the colonists many years of 
peace. 

For more adequate protection in time to come, particu- 
larly to the scattered settlements ; for security against the 
Dutch on the south-western border, and against the French 
on the north and east, both of whom were manifesting a 
disposition to encroach, and were suspected of inciting the 
savages to hostility by supplying them with fire arms ; 
and for more effectual security against the various tribes, 
who were believed to be meditating a general combination 
for the extirpation of the white race from this continent, 
a union or a confederacy was formed, in 1643, of the col- 
onies of Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven, with that 
of Massachusetts, to be known henceforth by the name of 
the " United Colonies of New England." The affairs of 
the confederacy were managed by commissioners, of whom 
two were appointed by each Colony. 

The military force of Massachusetts, at this time, con- 
sisted of twenty-six organized companies, in four regi- 
ments, one in each county, together with a troop of horse ; 
the whole under command of the Deputy Governor, Thomas 
Dudley, as Major General. Castle Island had been forti- 



30 

fied some years ; and batteries were maintained both at 
Boston and Charlestown. Several of the first military 
officers in the colony, however, now returned to England, 
to enter into the service of the Parliament. 

Such as I have attempted to describe it was the situa- 
tion of the Colony at the time of the settlement of Maiden ; 
and to this settlement I now ask your attention. This 
tract of land, at that time, formed, as you are aware, a 
part of Charlestown which comprehended within its limits 
an area of eight miles in extent, embracing, besides what 
is now Maiden, the whole of the territory comprised in 
Pleading, Stoneham, Woburn, Burlington, West Cam- 
bridge, Medford, excepting Cradock's plantation, and Som- 
erville ; also excepting the farms of Winthrop, Nowell 
and Wilson. We are to conceive of these lands, lying 
on what was called at that time Mystic side, as being cov- 
ered, like the rest of the main land, according to the 
Charlestown records, " with stately timber." " All the 
country round about " is said to have been an " un- 
couth wilderness full of timber." These lands, on Mystic 
side, were apportioned, doubtless, among the Charlestown 
settlers, according to the rules established by the Corpora- 
tion before the Charter was brought over, which gave in 
the proportion of two hundred acres to every adventurer 
to the amount of X50, and fifty acres to every one who 
came over at his own charges. Among those to whom 
lands were thus granted, Increase Nowell, John Wilson, 
and Abraham Palmer, were persons of some consideration, 
who, not becoming settlers themselves on Mystic side, sold 
out to some of our ancestors.* 

Several years before 1649, there were many inhabitants 
* See Note E. 



31 

in this place. I find among the colonial papers, in the 
archives of the Commonwealth, a remonstrance to the 
General Court from the inhabitants of Mystic side, bear- 
ing date the 16th of May, 1643, against a proposed high- 
way from Winnisimmet to Reading.* 

It would be gratifying to a curiosity, not unnatural, to be 
able to identify the very spots where our fathers first 
erected their humble habitations, and the narrow and wind- 
ing roads and lanes, which were first laid out and trav- 
elled. Some indistinct traces yet remain of these ancient 
ways, and the dwelling places by which they led, though 
discontinued, some of them, a century and a half ago. 
We may form some estimate, though at best but inade- 
quate, of their plain and simple manners, and their hard 
and honest toil, in subduing a stubborn wilderness, and 
converting it into these fertile fields, which we now see 
around us clothed with so luxuriant a vegetation. 

Our fathers here, at a very early period, only thirteen 
years after the incorporation of the town, felt themselves 
much straitened for want of room. In a petition which 
they sent, at that time, to the General Court, they say, 
" the bounds of our town are exceeding streight, the most 
of our improved lands and meadows being limited about 
two miles in length, and one in breadth, and that also, 
the most part of it, by purchase from Charlestown, 
whereof we were a small branch ; from whom also we 
had all the commons we have, which is very small and 
rockie." They then speak of the great charges they are 
at for the country and the ministry, the long continued 
sickness of their teacher, with the fact that they are closely 
hemmed in by other townships, and they humbly petition 
* See Note F. 



32 

the " much honored Court," " that a tract of land of about 
four miles square, at a place called Pennycook, may be 
granted as an addition to us, for our better support and 
encouragement in the service of Christ and the country." * 
This petition, however, humble and earnest as it is, 
" the Deputies think not meet to grant." The place called 
Pennycook is now Concord, N. H., on the Merrimack 
river ; and fortunate was it for our fathers that their re- 
quest was denied. For, though the chief settlers of Ipswich 
had obtained leave to remove and begin a town, now 
Newbury, at the mouth of the Merrimack ; and though 
11 Watertown and Roxbury had leave to remove whither 
they pleased, so as they continued under this govern- 
ment," for " all the towns in the Bay," says Winthrop 
in his journal,! " began to be much straitened by their 
own nearness to one another, and their cattle being so 
much increased ;" and though sixty of the inhabitants of 
Dorchester, and one hundred from Newtown, now Cam- 
bridge, men, women and children, upon leave obtained 
from the General Court, had performed, on foot, a journey 
of one hundred and twenty miles, through a pathless wil- 
derness, with nothing to guide them but the compass, % 
driving before them their herds of cattle, with their effects; 
and though they succeeded in forming settlements on the 
Connecticut river, at Hartford, Weathersfield, and other 
places ; yet, encouraged by these adventurers, had the 
early settlers of Maiden obtained their request and re- 
moved to Pennycook, they would have gone to the very 
home of a numerous and hostile tribe of Indians, who con- 
tinued, at intervals, for half a century, to attack and lay 

* See Note G. t Savage's Winthrop. Vol. I. p. 160. 
J Hutchinson's Hist. Mass., Vol. I. p. 45. 



33 

waste the feeble settlements on that frontier, sometimes 
taking captive the women and children, and, at other times, 
in their murderous onsets, making no discrimination on 
account of infancy, or age, or sex. Situated here, in close 
proximity to the centre of the population and military 
force of the Colony, our fathers enjoyed, from the first, a 
protection, in the peaceful pursuits of life, which could not 
easily have been secured to them in that remote and 
exposed quarter. 

But though our fathers failed in their request for four 
miles square, or ten thousand acres of land, at Pennycook, 
their petition prevailed with the General Court to obtain 
one thousand acres, partly in Worcester and partly in 
Shrewsbury, to be " appropriated to the use and benefit of 
the ministry." This act of favor, on the part of the 
Colonial Government, it is the more grateful to record, 
from the contrast it presents to the extraordinary severity, 
with which the Maiden Church was treated a few years 
before, on account of the settlement of their first minister, 
Marmaduke Mathews, when some of the neighboring 
Churches " were unsatisfied therewith ; " — he, though a 
most pious and faithful pastor, called by Governor Win- 
throp, " a godly minister," * having made use of some ex- 
pressions, which were pronounced " weak, inconvenient and 
unsafe." The transaction is one of the most remarkable 
on record appertaining to the history of our churches. 
The defence, made by our fathers who constituted that 
Church, which, in its poverty and the feebleness of its 
infancy, was fined £50, shows that they had a clearer 
understanding of their rights as an Independent Church, 
and of the true principles of religious liberty, than the 
* Savage's Winthrop, Vol. I. p. 273. 



34 

great body of the Magistrates and Deputies. It is pleas- 
ing to reflect that these extraordinary measures of the 
General Court 'were by no means adopted -with entire 
unanimity, nor did they meet with a cordial response from 
all the other churches. Not a little comfort -was imparted 
to the Church of Maiden, in this their first and severest 
trial, by the expressed sympathy of their Salem brethren. 
I am disposed to believe that this grant of one thousand 
acres of land was designed, though not so expressed, as an 
acknowledgment, on the part of the General Court, of the 
injustice that was done to this Church, and as some indem- 
nity for the injury inflicted. 

It is not my purpose, for I should be trenching on 
another's province, to give an historical sketch of this 
town. But, I trust, I may be indulged in the remark, 
that the place made vacant in the pulpit of this early 
church, by the extraordinary proceeding to -which I have 
referred, was soon filled by Michael Wigglesworth, whose 
pastoral relation seems to have continued for nearly half 
a century, though the active duties of his ministry were 
suspended by sickness, as Increase Mather has informed 
us, " for some whole sevens of years." A voyage to 
Bermuda somewhat improved, but did not completely 
restore, his health. When unable to preach, he devoted 
much time to writing for the " edification of such readers 
as are for plain truths, dressed up in a plain metre." * His 
principal poetical production, entitled the " Day of Doom," 
had no small celebrity at the time, passing through several 
editions, both in England and in this country. From 
another, entitled " A Short Discourse on Eternity," I will 
recite a few stanzas as a specimen of his poetry, and of 
* Increase Mather, Funeral Sermon, preached at Maiden, June 24, 1 705. 



35 

the language in which he clothed some of the grand con- 
ceptions of his mind : 

" What Mortal man can with a span 

mete out Eternity ? 
Or fathom it by depth of Wit 

or strength of Memory ? 
The lofty Sky is not so high, 

Hell's depth to this is small ; 
The World so wide is hut a stride, 

compared therewithal. 

" It is a main great Ocean, 
withouten bank or bound ; 
A deep Abyss, wherein there is 
no bottom to be found. 

^ tP ^ t£ * * 

" Nought joyn'd to nought can ne'er make ought, 

nor Cyphers make a Sum ; 
Nor things Finite to infinite 

by multiplying come ; 
A cockle-shell may serve as well 

to lade the Ocean dry, 
As finite things and Reckonings 

to bound Eternity." 

He was one of the Corporation of Harvard College ; 
father of the first, and grandfather of the second, Hollis 
Professor of Divinity in that institution. Of the regard 
entertained for him by the town, there is ample evidence 
upon the records. Particular days were appointed when 
" all the inhabitants," as it is sometimes expressed, or 
" all the cutters and carters," as expressed at others, 
P were to " cut and cart firewood for Mr. Wigglesworth." 
In addition to his stated salary of =£55, with the use of 
the parsonage, he had given him by vote " all the 
strangers' money," and "a highway was granted to his 



36 

house through the town land." The moss-covered stone 
•which marks the spot of his burial in yonder grave-yard 
bears the touching memorial of his people's love. He was 
their " physician both of soul and body." 

Methinks I can see the plain meeting-house of those 
early days standing upon that spot on my left, near to the 
parsonage bought of Benjamin Blackman ; numerous sheds, 
or stalls for the horses, being arranged on the one side and 
on the other ; a row of them being placed by the side of this 
eminence from which I now address you, whose significant 
appellation of " Bell Rock " has come down to us with the 
tradition, that on this summit was suspended, by some rude 
frame work, the bell, which called our fathers to the wor- 
ship of God on the Lord's Day, and the freemen of the 
town to the transaction of their public business, on days 
of general town-meeting. It was not till 1693, that the 
town " voted, that the bell shall be hanged on the top of 
the meeting-house." 

There is much that is interesting in the early records, 
concerning the measures adopted for householders and 
masters of families to take their turns of service, for pre- 
venting disorders in the meeting-house " by the playing of 
boys and youth ; " concerning the endeavors made to 
accommodate the " Charlestown neighbors " with seats in 
the meeting-house, — there being no pews in those days, 
but seats,— for men on the one side, and for women on the 
other, — the order of seating being " the minister's rate, 
with consideration of age and dignity;" also concerning 
the warnings repeatedly given to these same " Charles- 
town neighbors" against cutting and carting off wood and 
timber from the common lands ; and, finally, concerning 
the division, by lot, of more than two thousand acres of 



37 

these lands among the seventy-four freeholders of the town, 
according to the valuation of their estates, making upon 
an average about thirty acres to each man. As it 
seems to be a most creditable testimony to his fairness and 
honesty, it ought to be mentioned, that it stands on the 
record as a vote of the town, " that John Sargent, Sen'r, is 
the man to draw the lots." This general division of the 
common lands took place in 1695. Subsequently small 
portions were assigned to individuals not freeholders ; and 
to Thomas Newhall, it is recorded, was granted a part of 
the common near his own land, " he binding himself, his 
heirs and executors, to find the town with a sufficient 
training place both for horse and foot." 

This leads me, by an obvious association, to remark, that 
the fortunes of our ancestors in this town were felt by 
them to be bound up in the fortunes of the country, and 
that they held themselves in preparation, when called upon, 
as they were from time to time, to furnish their quota of 
soldiers for the common defence. In every military expe- 
dition, indeed, of any importance, undertaken by the Gov- 
ernment, whether against the Indians or the French, the 
names of Maiden men are found upon the muster rolls, 
and, in several of the engagements, some appear on the 
lists of the killed and wounded. 

In the war against the combined Indians, called King 
Philip's war, a war instigated and conducted by that 
sagacious and crafty Chief, for the purpose of extermi- 
nating the Colony, but which seems to have been precipi- 
tated before he was quite prepared, soldiers from this town 
were at the attack on the Narragansett fort, in the cold 
and snow of December, 1675 ; and, of the eighty-five who 
were slain, was Edmund Chamberlin, of Maiden, and, of 



66 

the one hundred and forty-five "wounded, were Lieut. 
Phinheas Upham and James Chadwick. The Indians were 
totally routed, and it is supposed that about one thousand 
of them perished. 

In the expedition, the year following, under Capt. 
Turner, upon the Connecticut river, 'where the Indians 
had repeatedly attacked the towns of Hadley, Hatfield, 
and Deerfield, the last of -which they had entirely de- 
stroyed, — which expedition, though successful in driving 
the savages from that quarter, proved fatal to the gallant 
commander, — were several from this town, who were in the 
engagement at the Falls, now designated, from the name 
of the commander of the expedition, Turner's Falls. In 
the archives of State, is preserved a most affecting petition 
from Mary Ross, of Maiden, to the Council in Boston, 
praying for the discharge of her husband from this war, 
he being aged and sick, and having long been in the coun- 
try's service, and his family in great distress by reason of 
his absence. It affords some insight into the suffering not 
unfrequently occasioned, in private families, by the impress- 
ments which were resorted to for recruiting the forces. 

But it was not against aggressions only from the French 
and Indians, that our ancestors felt compelled to be on 
their guard, but also against attempts on the part of the 
government of Charles II. to abrogate the charter, and 
control the Colony. The privileges, which our fathers here 
enjoyed, were regarded by that sovereign with no friendly 
eye. The sympathy which had existed between the 
Colony and the government of Cromwell, the neglect of 
Massachusetts promptly to proclaim the king on his acces- 
sion, the shelter here afforded to the regicides, Whalley 
and Goffe, the determination manifested to withstand anv 



39 

attempt to impose upon the Colony a royal governor, were 
all remembered by a monarch, whose arbitrary principles, 
he should have been aware, made him not more dreaded 
by Republicans, than his drunkenness and debauchery 
made him abhorred by Puritans. He lent a ready ear to 
accusations against the Colony, both from open and from 
secret enemies ; and especially from one Edward Ran- 
dolph, whose commission as Collector of the customs for 
the port of Boston had been disregarded, and himself 
treated as inimical to the interests and privileges of the 
Colony. The king sent over commissioners to hear and 
determine the matters of complaint ; a long controversy 
ensued between them and the General Court ; and their 
authority, being regarded as an infringement of the Char- 
ter, was not recognized. Decisive action, in revocation of 
the Charter, Avould probably have taken place immediately, 
had not domestic disquiet and alarm caused a postpone- 
ment for a few years. In 1683, by an order of Council, 
a quo zvarranto was issued ; and, in June of the following 
year, judgment was rendered by the high Court of Chancery 
against the Colony, " the Charter was declared forfeited, 
and their liberties were seized into the King's hands."* 

But, in eight months, Charles II. died, and the sovereignty 
passed into other hands, though not to be exercised with 
any more favor to the colonial rights. The affairs of the 
Colony were now to be administered under a President 
and Council commissioned by the King. This arrange- 
ment, however, was of short continuance. The arbitrary 
and obnoxious Andros was appointed Governor, with a 
Council independent of the people. The House of Rep- 
resentatives was abolished. A censorship was established 

* Hutchinson's Hist. Mass., Vol. II. p. 5. 



40 

over the press. It was declared to the Colonists, and by 
them never forgotten, " that they must not think the 
privileges of Englishmen would follow them to the end of 
the world." " The people were menaced that their meeting- 
houses should be taken from them, and that public worship 
in the Congregational way should not be tolerated." " The 
charter being vacated, the people were told that their titles 
to their estates were of no value." All property was 
regarded as insecure. " The Governor, with four or 
five of his Council, laid what taxes they thought proper ;" ' 
and imprisonment was the punishment for remonstrating 
against the oppression. 

Such tyranny was not long to be endured. On the 18th 
of April, 1689, the people of Massachusetts, — I venture 
to affirm that the people of Maiden were with them, — 
simultaneously rose in arms ; poured into Boston from all 
quarters ; seized and imprisoned the Governor, with Ran- 
dolph and about fifty others, their partizans; established 
a " Council for the safety of the people, and conservation 
of the peace ;" f and appointed the venerable Bradstreet, 
then at the age of eighty-seven years, their President. 
Thus was established a provisional government. The towns 
were then called upon to choose delegates to an Assembly, 
or what we should now call a Convention, to whom the 
question was to be submitted of the resumption of the 
Charter. 

The action of the town of Maiden, at this important 
juncture, is recorded in the archives of the Common- 
wealth ; — it is worthy to be there recorded, — and is as 
follows : 

* Hutchinson's Hist. Mass., Vol. I. pp. 355, 356, 359, 361. 
t Hutchinson's Hist. Mass., Vol. I. p. 381. 



41 

" May 6, 1689. At a Town Meeting of the Inhabi- 
tants of Maiden ; 

"Voted, agreed, and declared, by the Freeholders and 
Inhabitants of the town of Maiden, that we do desire and 
expect that our honored Governor, Deputy Governor, 
and Assistants, elected and sworn by the Freemen of this 
Colony, in May, 1686, together with the Deputies then 
sent down by the respective towns to the Court then 
holden, and which was never legally dissolved, shall con- 
vene, resume, and exercise the Government as a General 
Court, according to our Charter, on the 9th day of this 
inst., May; and, in so doing, we ho hereby promise and 
engage to aid and assist them to the utmost of our power, 
with our persons and estates. 

" Ensign Jos. Wilson, and Henry Green are chosen by 
the town to carry this writing to the Council. 

" As attest, John Sprague, 

John Green." * 

The Representatives of fifty-four towns met in Boston, 
and, pending the question of a resumption of the Govern- 
ment, the joyful tidings arrived of the Revolution in Eng- 
land, and the accession, to the throne, of William and Mary. 
Demonstrations, such as had never been witnessed here, 
were now made of the popular joy. The Colony was 
regarded with favor. Authority was granted for the 
exercise of the Government under the old Charter, until 
a new one should be settled. An order was received, also, 
for Andros and other persons in confinement to be sent 
to England. 

* The above is copied from the Colonial papers in the office of the 
Secretary of the Commonwealth. The Leaf routining it is missing 
from the Town Records. 



42 

A new Charter, in a short time, was granted ; the two 
Colonies of Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay were united 
as one Province ; and Sir William Phipps was appointed 
the first Governor. This is known as the Charter of 
William and Mary, — the Charter of 1692, — and under 
it the Government was carried on until subverted by the 
American Revolution. 

Having now dwelt with considerable fulness upon the 
events attending the early colonization of Massachusetts, 
and the circumstances of the abrogation of the Colonial, 
and grant of the Provincial, Charter, connected with those 
(topics supposed to be of most interest during the first half 
century from the settlement of Maiden, I must content 
myself with a very cursory survey of the ground that 
pemains ; touching only upon a very few points in the 
history of this town, besides those which are connected 
with the affairs of the Province. 

It was in the early part of the last century, that they 
to whom I have alluded as the " Charlestown neighbors," 
and who had, for many years, united with the inhabitants 
of Maiden in public worship, aiding in the minister's sup- 
port by a free-will offering, were set off from Charlestown 
by the General Court, first for ministerial and school pur- 
poses, and, in a few years after, for all purposes what- 
ever, to be incorporated with the rest of the town. 

The original meeting-house having now stood for nearly 
eighty years, and undergone repeated repairs and enlarge- 
ment, it was decided that a new one should be erected, 
and the question of its location gave rise to a controversy 
the most unfortunate in which the town has been en- 
gaged, and which was finally settled only by order of the 
Legislature, and a decree of the Supreme Court. The 



48 

breach, however, between the disaffected parties was not 
healed, and, in a few years, the south part of the town 
was set off, by the General Court, as a distinct precinct or 
parish ; and so continued for nearly sixty years, when, all 
differences being adjusted, there was a dissolution of the 
south parish, and a happy reunion with the rest of the 
town. 

But, notwithstanding this unhappy division for a time, 
the town did not fail to act together as one man, on all 
those questions in which the rights and liberties of the 
Province were concerned. All minor, sectional, parochial 
differences were forgotten, when, in 1731, the town was 
called on to take some action in reference to the long con- 
tinued and angry dispute, between the Royal Governor 
and the Provincial House of Representatives, respecting a 
fixed and permanent salary for that functionary. The Gov- 
ernor, under the first Charter, had been annually elected 
by the freemen of the Colony, and no difficulty at any 
time arose in regard to the compensation for his services. 
But, under the Charter of William and Mary, the Gover- 
nor was appointed by the Crown, and would have been 
independent of the General Court and the people, had it 
not been for his salary, for which he was dependent on an 
annual grant by the House of Representatives. The King 
was urgent in his instructions that an honorable and per- 
manent salary should be settled upon him, and the House 
were determined to keep him dependent upon their volun- 
tary grant ; being willing, however, to pledge themselves 
to make that grant liberal from year to year. At times 
the controversy was attended with considerable asperity, 
increased often by the extent to which the Governor exer- 
cised his negative in regard to appointments for the Coun- 



44 

cil. It was at length declared by authority of the King, 
that, if the Assembly continue to refuse compliance with 
his will, " his Majesty will find himself under a necessity 
of laying the undutiful behavior of the Province before 
the Legislature of Great Britain, as it manifestly appears 
that this assembly , for some years last past, have attempted, 
by unwarrantable practices, to weaken, if not cast off, the 
obedience they owe to the Crown, and the dependence 
which all colonies ought to have on their mother coun- 
try." * 

But the House were not intimidated. They remained 
inflexible in their purpose ; though fears were entertained 
by many that the chartered rights of the Province would, 
in consequence, be taken away. 

When, at this time, the question was submitted here, in 
Maiden, in General Town Meeting, it was voted, and, for 
aught that appears, without a dissenting voice, " that the 
town will stand for their privileges according to the Char- 
ter." 

The same watchful jealousy for the preservation of their 
privileges is seen in the vote of the town, upon the plan 
proposed, for a Union of the Colonies, to resist the threat- 
ened encroachments of the French ; who had extended 
a chain of forts, on the back of New York, Pennsylvania 
and Virginia, reaching from the St. Lawrence to the Ohio 
river. This Union, as projected, was to be formed of 
delegates, chosen by the several Provincial Assemblies, to 
be under a President appointed by the Crown; — the 
President to have a negative upon all their acts ; and these 
acts to be further submitted for approval to the King. It 
was to be a Confederation of these Colonies, under the 
* Hutchinson's Hist. Mass., Vol. II. p. 372. 



45 

control of the King, for purposes of peace and war ; for 
the regulation of trade with the Indians ; for the purchase 
and disposal of lands for settlement ; for the maintenance 
of an army and navy ; and for the levying of duties and 
taxes for the above mentioned purposes. 

This plan for a Confederation, however strong were the 
reasons which induced the Convention, by whom it was 
formed, unanimously to recommend it, met with no favor 
from the Colonial Assemblies, on account of the vast power 
it would vest in the King. 

" At a public town meeting, in Maiden, Jan'y 29, 1754, 
Benj. Hills, Moderator : The question was put, — Whether 
the town do esteem that the scheme for a plan of Union 
of his Majesty's colonies, on the continent, (lately consid- 
ered and debated on by the General Court,) would be 
likely to be beneficial to this Province ? And it passed in 
the negative." * 

The plan was rejected by the several Colonial Legisla- 
tures, because rejected by the people in their primary 
assemblies. 

But, though opposed to this plan of Union, the people 
of this town were prompt, at all times, to aid the Govern- 
ment, by men and money, in the common object of repel- 
ling the encroachments of the French. In that brilliant 
exploit, the capture of Louisbourg, in 1745, a place so 
strong as to be called the " Dunkirk of America," and 
which was effected, to the astonishment of Great Britain, 
by Provincial troops, more than three thousand of whom 
were furnished by Massachusetts, it may be safely affirmed 
that this town was fully represented, f Soldiers from this 

* Town Records. 
t The Muster rolls of the Massachusetts forces engaged in this expe- 
dition are not to be found in the archives of the Commonwealth. 



46 

town were with the troops of the Province in the expedi- 
tion against Nova Scotia, in 1755 ; and the names of at 
least twelve Maiden men, of whom four were officers, 
appear on the rolls of the army in the expedition to 
Crown Point, the same year ; some of whom were in the 
sharp engagement with the enemy under Baron Dieskau, 
on the 8th September, near the south end of Lake George. 

In the great exertion made by the Province, in 1757, 
when it was determined to raise an army of seven thou- 
sand men from Massachusetts for the Canadian frontier, 
and, twenty-five hundred being wanted to complete that 
number, resort was had to draft and impressment, the 
town of Maiden voted to pay a bounty of .£10 to every 
man who should be drawn for the expedition. They 
formed a part of that army of sixteen thousand men, 
about one half regulars, the greatest military force that 
had then been embodied on the continent, which was 
placed under the command of Gen. Abercrombie for the 
reduction of the strong fortress of Ticonderoga. The 
attempt was unsuccessful and disastrous. That officer 
was superseded by Gen. Amherst ; the fortunes of the 
war were changed ; five thousand more troops were ordered 
by Massachusetts ; Maiden again responded with her 
quota ; the French fortresses were captured ; Quebec and 
Montreal fell into the hands of the English and Provincial 
army ; and thus was effected, mainly by the valor of the 
Provincial troops, the entire reduction of Canada. 

Strong hopes had been entertained that the conquest of 
Canada would be followed by peace and security, and that 
the fervent prayer of every American heart was now to be 
answered, in that " every man should sit under his vine 



47 

and under his fig-tree, with none to make him afraid." 
But the events of these few years had opened the eyes of 
Great Britain to the growing importance of these Colo- 
nies ; and now was commenced that series of ill-advised 
and oppressive measures, which eventuated in their total 
separation from Great Britain, and the establishment of 
their Independence. 

This brings me down to comparatively recent times. I 
refrain from an account of that memorable struggle with 
the parent country. You are all familiar with the story 
of the Revolution. You have heard it from the lips of 
your fathers and grand-fathers, who were eye- witnesses 
and actors in the scenes. 

It is a pleasing and grateful duty to remark upon the 
evidence that exists, that the people of Maiden were not 
behind those of any town in patriotic efforts, in proportion 
to their means. Their votes in town meetings, as they 
stand upon the records, — their instructions to their Rep- 
resentatives, — their determination to resist the execution 
of the stamp-act and all measures of British taxation, — 
their refusal to purchase goods of particular individuals 
importing contrary to the agreement of the merchants, — 
their concurrence in the measures taken to prevent the 
consumption of tea until the revenue acts should be 
repealed, — these, and various resolutions of the town in 
sympathy with and support of Boston, in the hour of her 
distress, — their concurrence and assistance in the meas- 
ures of the Provincial Congress, — and the declaration of 
their readiness to defend their rights with their blood and 
treasure, — all afford proof of their ardent and sincere 
attachment to the cause of American Liberty. 

For a considerable period before the commencement of 



48 

the contest, as is apparent, the nature of that contest had 
been distinctly foreseen by the people of this town. They 
commenced and vigorously prosecuted their military pre- 
parations. The officers were ordered " to make a critical 
review of the arms, ammunition and accoutrements of every 
inhabitant ; " to exempt none from military duty under 
sixty years of age, unless exempted by law, and to parade 
and drill the company twice a week. 

On the memorable 19th of April, 1775, Capt. Blaney's 
company of seventy-five men promptly marched " to re- 
sist the ministerial troops ; " and, on the 17th of June, they 
were stationed, in pursuance of orders, at Beacham's 
Point, as an attack from the enemy was apprehended 
there ; and, from that point, they were near spectators of 
the sanguinary conflict of that day. 

On the 19th of June, the town took measures to compel 
those inhabitants of Boston and Charlestown, who had here 
sought refuge from the impending storm, to do military 
duty with the inhabitants of this town, for the common 
defence. 

On the 21st of June, application was made to the Pro- 
vincial Congress for directions in the use of the Artillery, 
for authority to enlist men to use them, and to request 
assistance from the army for the defence of the town, in 
the very dangerous situation of the south part, particu- 
larly, which lay within reach of the enemy's guns on the 
heights of Charlestown. 

The people of this town were familiar with the danger, 
and were able to count the cost, when they gave their 
Instructions to their Representative, in 1776. 
With their sentiments, as expressed in these Instructions, 
in regard to their relation to the parent country ; the warmth 



49 

of the affection toward her which they had once felt ; and 
the causes which had produced a change, and led them to 
desire a separation and the establishment of an American 
Republic ; you have been made as familiar as with house- 
hold words. The force and eloquence, with which those 
sentiments were expressed, attracted the attention of Chief 
Justice Marshall, who deemed a portion of them to be 
worthy of a place in his " Life of "Washington." * To 
the Continental Congress they gave the assurance, that, if 
America should be declared to be a " Free and Indepen- 
dent Republic," they " will support and defend the meas- 
ure, to the last drop of their blood, and the last farthing 
of their treasure." 

This was no empty boast. Their blood and treasure 
were liberally poured out in redemption of their pledge. 
They were connected with the army, and shared in its suc- 
cesses and reverses, from the beginning to the end of the 
war. On the roll of the eight months men are the names 
of forty-six from the town of Maiden, and it is believed 
a much larger number were among the enlistments for the 
period of the war. As bounty for soldiers to recruit the 
army, from time to time, and for supplies, the town raised 
but little short of £10,000, in the currency of the times, 
or nearly $2,000, of the standard of silver, and this at 
a period which is without a parallel in the country for de- 
rangement of the currency, and pecuniary distress, f On 
a single occasion, to meet an urgent call for ten men to 
join the army of Washington, the town voted to raise, as 
a bounty for them, six hundred dollars in silver, five hun- 
dred of which were ordered to be collected and paid in 
ten days. 

* Vol. II. p. 407, sq. Phil. Ed. 1804. t See Note H. 



50 

How great was that pecuniary distress, which the people 
of Maiden suffered, in common with the country, before the 
close of the war, some idea may be formed from the very 
touching memorial, which they sent to the General Court, 
in January, 1782, on the inability of debtors to meet the 
demands of creditors, and praying the interposition of 
Government, that executions may be stayed? In that 
memorial they say, that many have " lodged their money 
in the public funds, with a view to public as well as pri- 
vate advantage. Of this money they cannot now avail 
themselves ; and is it just, that men should be distressed 
and ruined, whose inability to satisfy the demands of their 
creditors proceeds only from the inability of Government 
to pay their debts to them ? Is it reasonable, that a man 
should be compelled to sell the inheritance of his fathers 
for a trifle, or be hurried into a gloomy prison, who is a 
creditor to the Government for a larger sum, than he is a 
debtor to any man upon earth ? " * It may be of interest 
to you for me to state, that the Chairman of the Commit- 
tee, who reported this memorial, was Ezra Sargent, the 
Representative of the town. 

But the cloud which hung over the minds of men, and 
cast its dark shadow over the country, was ere long rolled 
away. The heavens brightened with a glorious promise. 
The words of the Hebrew sage were verified, that " the 
race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong." 
There is a righteous Providence which overrules the affairs 
of nations as of individual men, and, in " firm reliance on 
the protection of that Providence," our fathers struggled, 
and were sustained. Success crowned their efforts. The 
object, worthy of all the sacrifice, was attained. 
* Town Records. 



51 

Fellow Citizens: — I trust it may have been, in some 
degree, apparent, from this address, that it was the Spirit 
of Liberty, civil and religious, taking its rise with our 
Puritan Ancestors, which inspired them in their resistance 
to the arbitrary and oppressive measures of the English 
hierarchy ; which led them to cross the ocean, and seek 
an asylum here for the enjoyment of their rights ; which 
nerved them to withstand the trials incident to a remote 
colony, dependent upon its own resources, in a wilderness, 
and surrounded by enemies ; which laid the foundations of 
the Commonwealth in the Free School and Independent 
Church ; which, with a jealousy that never slumbered, 
guarded from encroachment the rights conferred by Char- 
ter ; and which conducted, finally, to national Indepen- 
dence, and the establishment of our glorious Union and 
Constitution. 

Through the whole series of events leading to this grand 
consummation, it has been my object to show that our an- 
cestors, in this town, have performed their part, from the 
time of their first settlement here. By the sentiments 
they publicly expressed, and the acts they performed, they 
aided, at all times, in sustaining the rights of the Colony 
and Province ; and, in the Revolutionary struggle, they 
were second to none in patriotic effort, and personal sac- 
rifice ; while the declaration of their sentiments has gained 
a place in American History. 

And now contemplate the result ! Our Commonwealth 
is one of a family of nations. Two generations have 
passed away. The original thirteen have increased to 
thirty States ; and three millions of people have multi- 
plied to more than twenty millions ; while our boundaries, 
realizing the terms of the original patent, now stretch 



52 

from sea to sea, — literally an Ocean-bound Republic ; — 
a vast Confederated Republic ; which, in its institutions 
of Government, state and national, — in the intelligence 
of its people, — in its moral and physical energy, — in its 
exhaustless resources, — in the elements it possesses of 
power and prosperity, and of peace and happiness, — pre- 
sents a spectacle, which may be said, without exaggera- 
tion, to be the admiration, as it is the hope, of the world. 

Cherishing common memories of the past, and sharing 
in common hopes ; bound together by a common lan- 
guage, a common interest, a common polity, and a com- 
mon liberty, purchased in a contest successful only through 
united effort ; may the people of these United States 
cherish a fraternal sympathy ; and, amid all the convul- 
sions of the elements, whether moral or political, may they 
cling to that ark of their safety, — the American Union. 

Think of the position which this Republic occupies in 
the eyes of the nations struggling for Liberty, — long 
struggling, — with alternate hope and despair ; and then 
answer the question, — Can he be a friend to the best 
interests of his country, or his race, who will say or 
do aught that is intended to weaken the ties of our 
Confederacy ? 

It is a priceless inheritance which our fathers have 
bequeathed ; and we, their children, must be ungrateful to 
God, and recreant to the blood that flows in our veins, if 
we fail to perform our part to transmit it unimpaired to 
our posterity. 

Here, on this continent, which had lain in the silent 
repose of nature for more than thirty centuries, while 
kingdoms were rising and going down over the other three 
quarters of the globe, a nation, in the fulness of time, has 



53 

been brought into being by the Providence of the Al- 
mighty ; in its youth its sinews have been girt with the 
strength of maturity ; and it is advancing in its career 
with gigantic strides. Does any thing for a time retard, 
nothing can stop, its progress. Every pause seems but 
a breathing time to accelerate its onward march. And, — 
to its destiny, what human power or prescience can set the 
bounds ? 

At a time when nature herself seems to be bowing to 
the will of man, and placing her most mysterious agencies 
at his service to do his bidding ; to carry him over the 
earth with the fleetness of the wind, and transmit his 
thoughts and volitions to the most distant places with the 
velocity of the lightning ; and when every new power ac- 
quired by him does but increase his capacity for acquisi- 
tion ; what imagination can conceive, or tongue adequately 
express, the destiny, which even here upon earth seems 
awaiting the human race ! 

Following the example of our ancestors, in devout recog- 
nition of the Divine Superintendence ; regarding ourselves 
as Trustees, with a Commonwealth in our keeping, which 
they founded in the virtue and intelligence of the people ; 
and bearing in mind the great truth, that virtue and in- 
telligence are the only true basis for a nation's prosperity 
and happiness ; may we carefully preserve and hand down 
the precious deposit, — so " that the generations to come 
may know the God of their Fathers, and serve him with 
a perfect heart, and a willing mind." 



NOTES. 



Note A. — Page 14. 

i The application intended by Maeaulay of this remark is not perfectly 
apparent. Few English writers can do justice to the character of the 
Puritans. The statements of one, who writes in such an off-hand 
style, require some qualification in order to be consistent either with 
truth or one another. For example, speaking of the " Puritans in the 
days of their power," he says, 

" They proved as intolerant and as meddling as ever Laud had been. 
They interdicted, under heavy penalties, the use of the Book of Com- 
mon Prayer, not only in churches, but even in private houses. It was a 
crime in a child to read by the bedside of a sick parent one of those 
beautiful collects which had soothed the griefs of forty generations of 
Christians. Severe punishments were denounced against such as should 
presume to blame the Calvinistic mode of worship. Clergymen of 
respectable character were not only ejected from their benefices by thou- 
sands, but were frequently exposed to the outrages of a fanatical rab- 
ble," &c —Hist, of England, Butler <?• Co., Phil, 1849. Vol I. p. 1 18. 

How is the foregoing to be reconciled with the following passage 
referring to the Protector's administration 1 

"Justice was administered between man and man with an exactness 
and purity not before known. Under no English Government, since 
the Keformation, had there been so little religious persecution. The 
clergy of the fallen Anglican Church were suffered to celebrate their 
worship on condition that they would abstain from preaching about pol- 
itics. Even the Jews, whose public worship had, ever since the thirteenth 
century, been interdicted, were, in spite of the strong opposition of jeal- 
ous traders and fanatical theologians, permitted to build a synagogue in 
London."— Ibid. p. 102, 103. 



55 



Note B. — Page 18. 

' : Amongst others that arrived at Salem, at their own cost, were Ralph 
Sprague, with his brethren, Richard and William, who, with three or 
four more, by joint consent, and approbation of Mr John Endicott, 
Governor, did, the same summer of Anno 1628, undertake a journey 
from Salem, and travelled through woods about twelve miles to the 
westward, and lighted of a place situate and lying on the north side of 
Charles river, full of Indians, called Aberginians. 

" The Inhabitants that first settled in this place, and brought it into 
the denomination of an English town, were, in Anno 1628, as follows, 
viz. : 

" Ralph Spragne ; Richard Sprague : William Sprague : John Meech ; 
Simon Hoyte ; Abraham Palmer; Walter Pamer; Nicholas Stowers ; 
John Stickline ; Thomas Walford, Smith, that lived here alone before ; 
Mr. Graves, who had charge of some of the servants of the Company 
of Patentees, with whom he built the Great House this year, for such of 
the said company as are shortly to come over, which afterwards became 
the meeting-house ; and Mr. Bright, Minister to the Company's servants. 

li By whom it was jointly agreed and concluded that this place on the 
north side of the Charles River, by the natives called Mishawum, shall 
henceforth, from the name of the River, be called Charlestown, which was 
also confirmed by Mr. John Endicott, Governor." — Charlestown Toicn 
Records. Budingtoris Hist, of First Church, Charlestown, p. 172 sq. 



Note C. — Page 20. 

After such a testimony, which is but one of many to be found in Ban- 
croft's History, in terms of warm admiration of the character of the 
settlers who came over in the fleet with Winthrop, it is difficult to with- 
hold an expression of surprise, that his meaning should have been mis- 
apprehended, in the passage, in which he speaks of " the Puritan felons 
that freighted the fleet of Winthrop." Vol. II. p. 455. Can it be sup- 
posed to be other than an ironical reference to the well-known calumnies 
of certain foreign writers, who have been pleased to compare the first 
settlement of New England to that of Botany Bay, and to represent the 
Puritan Pilgrims as discharged convicts and felons ? — See Young's 
Chron. of Mass., p. 127., n. 2. Also Index, p. 565, where the above passage 
is referred to as' 1 Bancroft's slander of the Massachusetts Colonists .'" 



Note D. — Page 20. 

"1630. July. Arrive at Charlestown, Gov. Winthrop, Dep. Gov. 
Dudley, Sir Richard Saltonstall, Mr. Johnson, Ludlow, Nowell, Pyn- 
ehon, and Bradstreet, with the Massachusetts Colony Charter; as also 
Mr. Wilson and Phillips, ministers, with about fifteen hundred people, 
brought over in twelve ships from England. But many of our people 
being sick of fevers and the scurvy, we are thereby unable to carry up 
our ordnance and baggage so far; the Governor and several patentees 
dwell in the Great House last year built by Mr. Graves, and the rest of 
their servants : the multitude set up cottages, booths and tents about the. 
Town-Hill, and their meeting-place is abroad under a tree, where Mr. 
Wilson and Phillips preach. 

" On Noddle's Island lives Mr. Samuel Maverick ; a man of a very 
loving and courteous behavior, very ready to entertain strangers. On 
this Island, with the help of Mr. David Thompson, he had built a small 
fort, with four great guns to protect him from the Indians. On the 
south side of Charles River mouth, on a point of land, called Blaxton's 
Point, lives Mr. Blaxton, where he only has a cottage; — the neck of 
land from which the point runs, being in Indian named Shaivmid, after- 
wards Boston. To the southeast thereof, near Thompson's Island, 
live some few planters more. These were the first planters of those 
parts, having some small trade with the natives for bever skins, which 
moved them to make their abode in those places, and are found of some 
help to the new Colony. 

" But having had a long passage, some of the ships seventeen, some 
eighteen weeks a coming, many people arrive sick of the scurvy, which 
increases for want of houses, and by reason of wet lodging in their cot- 
tages, having no fresh food to cherish them. And, though the people 
are very pitiful and loving, yet the sickness with other distempers so 
prevails, that the well are not able to tend them, upon which many die, 
and are buried about the Hill ; yet 'twas admirable to see with what 
Christian courage many carry it amidst these calamities. 

"July 30. Friday, the day of solemn Prayer and Fasting kept at 
Charlestown, when Gov. Winthrop, Dep. Gov. Dudley, Mr. Johnson, 
and the Rev. Mr. Wilson, first enter into church covenant, and lay the 
foundation of the churches both of Charlestown, and afterwards of 
Boston. 

"Aug. 1, Lord's Day; five more join to the Church at Charlestown, 
who, with others quickly added, choose Mr. Wilson for their Pastor ; 
the greater number, at this time, intending no other than to settle here, 



57 

where the Governor orders his house to be cut and framed. But the 
weather being hot, many sick, and others faint upon their long voyage, 
people grew uneasy for want of water ; for though this neck abounds 
with good water, yet they only found a brackish spring by the water side, 
in the sand, on the west side of the north-west field, which was not to be 
come at but when the tide was down, and could not supply half the 
necessities of that multitude : at which time the death of so many was 
thought to be owing to the want of good water. 

" This made several go abroad upon discovery. Some go over to 
Shawmut, on the south side of the river. Some go without Charles- 
town neck, and travel up into the main, till they came to a place well 
watered ; whither Sir R. Saltonstall with Mr. Phillips and several others 
went and settled a plantation, and called it Watertown. In the mean 
time Mr. Blaxton, of Shawmut, coming over, informs the Governor of 
an excellent spring there ; withall inviting and soliciting him thither, 
upon which it seems that Mr. Johnson with several others soon remove 
and begin to settle on that side of the river." — Princes Annals, p. 240 — 
244. 



Note E.— Page 30. 

The following is a literal copy of an original Deed from Abraham 
Palmer, which is still preserved, and will serve to show how vague was 
the description in conveyances of real estate made in the early days of 
the Colony. 

" Know all men by theise presents, that I, Abraham Palmer, of Charles- 
town, Merchant, have bargained and sould unto James Greene, of the 
town aforcsd, planter, one portion of land situate and lying in Mysticke 
field, containing, by estimation, more or less, thirty acres. Bounded on 
the south with the lands of John March, on the north with the lands of 
Widdow Rand, with one meadow lying by the north spring; with other 
two parcells of meadow, the one being against Mr Noweil's farm ; and 
the other adjoining to the land of the widow Coale. All which parcells, 
both of upland and meadowing, with all the appurtenances unto them 
belonging, that is to say, — all the houscing, timber, and all other accom- 
modations unto them, I, the foresd Abraham Palmer, being the true and 
lawful owner of them, have sould unto the aforsd James Greene, for and 
in consideration of seaventy pounds, the sd James Greene to have and to 
hould the foresd houseinge or lands, wither pastureing, meadowing, or 
broken up lands, together with all and singular the appurtenances and 
priviledges thereunto belonging ; to him and his heirs and assignes for 



58 

ever, without any disturbance or molestation. In witness whereof I 
the sd Abraham Palmer, have sett to my hand and seale this thirtieth of 
March 1647: 
Sealed and delivered ABE, PALMER (L. S.) 

in the presence of us 

Edward Mellowes. 
acknowledged the 8th, of the 9th 

mo. 1G48, before me Inch: Nowell. 
Recorded 22 (12) 164S, by William Aspixwall, Recorder." 



Note F. — Page 31. 

The following is the remonstrance referred to in the text : 

" 1G: 3: 43. 

" To the Honored Court. 

I: The humble petition of several inhabitants of Mistickside and others 
in Charlestown ; 

" May it please you to understand that there hath been lately laid out a 
highway from Winnisimmet to Reading by appointment of the General 
Court, whose orders in all things will most willingly and duly bind us 
to submit unto, assuring ourselves that their principall aim is the public 
good; which under favor we consider is not consistent with the laying 
out of that way as now it is done ; for that it thwarts near twenty small 
lotts, also many other lotts ; which, if by means thereof, the owners be 
forced to fence out the way, a great part of the land must be sold to 
make the fence, the owners being many of them poor, and not able to 
bear the charge thereof, some of them having four fences already against 
common and highway ground. Wherefore our humble request is that 
the said act may be recalled, and that the way unto Winnisimmet from 
Redding may be in the highway leading toward the penny ferry, unto the 
house of James Vassell, and so by the townway leading directly unto 
Winnisimmet, lying on the head of the five acre lot by the south spring, 
which is also a plain, firm, trod way, and but little about, — the which 
;hey now stand charged to fence against, and cannot secure their plant- 
ing without it. So shall we he bound to pray as we desire daily to do 
for your prosperity and peace, temporal and eternal. 

Jo GREENLAND 
RICHD DEXTER 
ERANCIS WHEELER 
GEORGE HALL 

in the name of the rest." 
Mass. Archives, Vol. 121, p. 21. 



59 



Note G. — Page 32. 

Petition of Maiden for Fcnnycook. 
,; To the Hon*! Court now assembled at Boston the 7th of the 4th Mo. 
1G62. the petition of the inhabitants of Maiden humbly shewing: 

" That the bounds of our town are exceeding strcight, the most of 
our improved land and meadow being limited about two miles in length, 
and one in breadth; and that also the most part of it by purchase from 
Charlestown, whereof we were a small branch ; from whom also we had 
all the commons we have ; which is very small and rockie. 

'• That hitherto we have had no inlargement from the countrie, nor can 
we have any neere adjoining, being surrounded by sundry townships. 
That our charges to the countrie and ministry much exceedeth sundry 
others, who have many times our accommodations, and as many here do 
know. 

" Our teacher, Mr. Wigglesworth, also hath been long visited with vcric 
great weaknesses from which it is much feared he will not be recovered. 
" For these and other weightie considerations, our most humble petition 
to this much honored Court is that a tract of lands of about foure miles 
square, at a place called Pennyeooke may be granted as an addition to us, 
for our better support and incouragement, in the service of Christ and 
the Countrie ; to lie laid out by Mr. Jonathan Danforth, or some other 
artist, and Capt. Ed. Jonson or John Parker. 

" So with our heartie prayers to God for your utmost peace and pros- 
peritie, we crave leave to subscribe ourselves, 

yr. vcric humble servants, 
JOSEPH HILLS 
WILL. BKACKENBURY 
JOHN WAYTE 
JOHN SPKAGUE 
ABRA. HILL 
THO. CALL 
JOB LANE 
PETER TUFTS 
ROBERT HARDIN 

In the name of the rest. 
" The Deputies think not mcete to grant this petition, 

William Toebey, Clerk." 
Mass. Archives, Vol. 112, p. 147. 

Order of the General Court as to Pennicook. 
" Upon information that Pennicook is an apt place for a township, 
and in consideration of the Lord's great blessing npon the countrie in 



60 

multiplying the inhabitants and plantations here ; and that almost all 
such places are already taken up, it is ordered by this Court that the 
lands at Pennicook be reserved for a plantation till so many of such as 
have petitioned for lands there or at others shall present to settle 
a plantation there. 

" The Deputies have past this, desiring the consent of our Hond Mag- 
istrates thereto. 

WILLIAM TOEREY, Clerk." 

Mass. Archives, Vol. 112, p. 147. 



Note H. — Page 49. 

The following extracts from the Order Book of the Selectmen of 
Maiden, will convey some idea of the state of the currency towards the 
close of the war. 

" An order on the treasurer to Jabez Lynde for £325, equal to $1083, 
and 2 shillings, in the first emission of Continental Dollars, for half a 
cord of pine wood ; and for 1 25 lbs. of pork at $8 per lb. for the poor, 
as by his acct. dated Jan. 9, 1781, may appeal - . 
Dated in Maiden, Jan. 11, 1781. 

By order of the Selectmen, 

JOSEPH PERKINS, Town Clerk." 

" Two orders on the treasurer to John Howell, for £780, for keeping 
his sister Pell 52 weeks, at $50 of the emission of Continental Dollars 
per week. 

Dated at Maiden, March 5, 1781. 

By order of the Selectmen, 

JOSEPH PEEKINS, Town Clerk." 

" An order on the treasurer to Bcnj'n "Waitt, it being for $90 of the 
old emission of Continental Dollars ; viz. for one bushel of Indian 
corn for the poor, $30, and, for three pecks of rye for the poor, $60. 
Dated at Maiden, March 6, 1782. 

By order of the Selectmen, 

JOSEPH PEEKINS, Town Clerk 



POEM 

DELIVERED AT MALDEN, 

ON THE 

TWO HUNDREDTH ANNIYERSAEY 

OP THE 

INCORPORATION OF THE TOWN, 
MAY 23, 1849. 



BY GILBERT HAVEN, JR. 



The following Poem was hastily composed amid a pressure of other duties that 
prohibited that Uniae labor cl mora necessary to perfect it. It was intended as a slight 
contribution to the exercises of the Bi-Centcnnial, without any design or desire that it 
should survive the festivities of the hour. It is now submitted with full knowledge 
of its defects, but with desires that it may contribute, however slightly, to perpetuate 
the remembrance of the occasion to which it owes its origin. 



POEM. 



In that old fable, which to our young sight 

Afforded ever fresh and full delight, 

There was recorded, how the intense desire 

To free his wagou toiling in the mire, 

Wrought in the sluggish driver such alarms, 

As found expression in the lungs, not arms. 

While he, around whose knees the suppliant clung, 

Told liiin to use his shoulders, not his tongue. 

So when the poet heaven's towers would scale, 

And on celestial food his soul regale, 

He prays the Muse to lend him wings to soar 

Beyond Creation's world-encircling shore ; 

Or on less daring pinions fleetly glide 

O'er scenes embraced in Time's dominion wide. 

Yet she but seldom to his soul applies 

The wings of mighty thought that cleave the skies, 

But waits until she sees his earnest prayer 

Expressed in efforts, rather than in air. 

Trusting to no complaisant Muse, we sing 

The thoughts that from our inmost feelings spring, 

While traversing the years that lie between 

The present moment, and the novel scene 

That met our fathers' sight, when first they stood, 

Strong in God's strength, 'mid this green solitude. 



64 



In this expectant crowd's attentive gaze, 
I read desire for pleasure and for praise; — 
That olden natures may be all displayed — 
Exposed the raw material whence were made 
All the strange human fabrics, which we now 
Find in our streets, designed for use or show. 
We very gladly revel in the mirth 
To which another's actions may give birth. 
Reverence for aged or for honored names — 
E'en those whose virtues, vices, glories, shames, 
Appear in clearer, or in dimmer light 
In us, their children, — cannot quench delight 
In gathering from their modes of thought and action 
Traits, which embodied in a strange abstraction, 
We love to contemplate, as fairly showing, 
Compared with us, how fast our race is growing. 
Though thus we find a passport safe and cheap, 
To hearts, whose portals present pleasures keep, 
Still we are sure, that courage more admire, 
Which, with a love for truth and right on fire, 
Attacks with charity and taste the heart, 
Compels its hostile feelings to depart, 
Throws its barred gates wide open to admit 
Truth with her allies, eloquence and wit. 

Following with ready step the faithful guide 

That may in knowledge and in taste reside, 

We'll range through scenes now veiled in misty years ; 

Sketch, though with unskilled hand, what there appears 

Show how from barrenness luxuriance flows ; 

On savage soil the tree of Knowledge grows ; 

Where famine reigned now plenty all embraces ; 

On stalks of rudeness bloom the loves of graces : — 



65 



Catch glimpses of the source from which arose 
Life's swelling ocean that our land o'erflows ; 
Which soon, o'erwhelming every nation's goal, 
Will, with its waves, encompass either pole. 

Unroll the mammoth canvas that displays 
The acts and actors of those ancient days, 
When in the strength of faith and hope, they bore 
Their wealth of virtue to this lonely shore. 
Trace through the flying years their steady rise 
In riches, comfort, and, perchance, in vice. 
See how their habits, rigid, rude and quaint, 
Yielded to those imposing less restraint ; 
Until their sons, though linked by blood and brains 
In close connection, can detect no chains 
Of custom or of thought, in whose embrace 
Are joined these distant limits of the race. 
Where now the smiling fields in verdure glow ; — 
Where odors from Hesperian gardens flow ; — 
Where sheltered 'neath the green and stately trees 
Nestle the homes of pleasure and of peace ; — 
Where noisy labor beats the weary air, 
And noisier children, with life's freshness fair, 
Fill each vexed car with discord, and each soul 
With sweet remembrance of his childhood's goal, 
From which, reluctantly, his toil-worn feet 
Have travelled far along life's crowded street; — 
Where scandal, closely screened in virtue's guise, 
Plies its brisk trade of infamy and lies ; — 
Where politicians, with profoundest thought 
Explain how different zero is from naught ; — 
"Where stately churches lift their reverent spires ; — 
Where noble schools enkindle mental fires, 



6Q 



Whose heat and Light, pervading every brain, 

Refine, illuminate, expand, restrain ; — 

Here, when the numerous virtues and the crimes, 

The wisdom and the folly of the times, 

Cause in the soul thoughts varied to abound, 

As sweet bells out of tune sad discord soixnd ; — 

Then Nature, in her charms unrivalled reigns, 

For Art intrudes not on her still domains. 

The hills, with forests crowned, like green isles rise 

From seas of flowers and fragrance to the skies. 

And from her realms, by impious foot untrod, 

Upfloats her clouds of incense to her God. 

In those old years on such a sunlit day, 

Moored in the rolling waters of the bay, 

Lay vessels laden with a wealth that shines 

With radiance mocking California's mines. 

Soon on the shores that yonder waters lave 

Stand saintly women,— heroes stern and brave. 

Out to the breeze the tattered flag they fling, 

In clear, loud tones their hymn of safety sing, 

With forms erect and reverend heads all bare, 

Send through the listening woods their notes of prayer. 

Then was this civil structure framed, which rears 

Its noble form amid the buried years. 

Built of material from the head and heart, 

Of Knowledge, Enterprise, Religion, Art, 

It stands complete from corner-stone to dome — 

A worthy dweller in the glorious home 

Of all the pleasant, useful, honor'd great, 

Which make the Bay State, of all States, the State. 

First, then, the structure which we now behold 

Was built on Hills, sharp, lofty, rugged, bold : 



G7 



On bills, which, far disjoined from kindred kind, 
Present two striking features to the mind. 
For though they seem so rugged and enduring, 
Yet on them flourish flowers and fruits alluring, 
Springing from seeds which Charity casts forth, 
To have, in soil of taste and friendship, birth ; 
While in their breasts bright glow volcanic fires 
Of fancy, argument and strong desires. 
To Hills thus active and adorned, kind fate 
Added, to make the basis firmer, 11". ight. 
Which W< ight, increasing with each generation, 
In ratio subject to some variation, 
Has in a two-fold way its power impressed, 
In what it has sustained, and what suppressed. 
We might describe the various parts annexed, 
Although for proper words sometimes perplexed. 
We toil like those who climb CJj-jBampshire's hill, 
With Oaks, and Tufts of moss, their gaze to fill. 
We might proceed from basement to the garret, 
Could wc believe your tired ears would Bear-it, 
And higher yet on changeful weather- Cocks, 
With Dexterous art defy the wind's fierce shocks. 
In its New-halls show what strange Styles prevail, 
Here hangs a Cub-W<b, ever- Greens there trail, 
And in one Chamber-lain, as we pass by, 
Gifts of the Rich, Wise, Noble, meet the eye. 
But while we walk, should hunger draw us down, 
Where in Sweet-syraps, we its Pains can Drown, — 
Where flesh and Fish-are Eaten, we, I fear. 
Waiting for neither Fork-nor knife t' appear, 
Would grasp with greediness whatever best is, 
Forgetful of our theme, as graduates are what Est-is. 
But, halting, let your eyes through yon crowd Pierce, 
Which in its courts for riches struggle fierce, 



68 



Seeking for niches, fairly or by stealth, 

In thy soul-crowded temple, potent Wealth. 

But though they know one law Stern fate imposes — 

The Bald-win, since they Win-slow, what youth loses — 

Still see Ilow-ardenily they rush, arrayed 

Each band in different dress, which men call trade, 

Of which we 've hardly time to note and utter 

The Carrier, Butler, Turner, Tailor, Cutter. 

But playfulness like this will, to my cost, 

Send me where Towns-send all whose wits^ are lost ; 

For childish Prattle was long since a Shoot, 

Which now should bend with wisdom's golden fruit. 

Let me, then, Rider of this famished steed, 

At reason's Call to richer pastures Speed. 

And lest the sun, 'mid setting radiance golden, 

Should overtake us, by such follies Uolden, 

Let us direct to men, not names, our thought, 

And note what traits they, from the old world, brought. 

The fashions and frivolities, allied 

In close relationship, they felt, with pride, 

That rule their children now without restraint, 

Had not a trace in them, however faint. 

But though they thought they'd left all carnal things 

With England's haughty prelates, lords and kings ; 

And sights of sinful folly should no more 

Distress their conscience on this peaceful shore, 

Still did their habits, prejudices, laws, 

Prove outward changes do not inner cause. 

Their hair, kept closely to its place of birth, 

Just as a sickly child its mother's hearth, 

Ne'er strayed in wavy tresses far from home, 

Delighted over head and neck to roam, 



G9 



As many a son's has since, who loved to follow 
The custom of the silver-bowed Apollo. 
A nasal melody their words attends, 
And, with deep gutturals, higher music blends. 
Their language with quaint Scripture phrases teemed. 
And not unlike their spacious fireplace seemed. 
That Scripture scenes adorn ; while just below- 
Less sacred things upon the hearthstone glow. 
Their dress, from hat to silver-buckled shoe, 
And in a later age, their cherished queue, 
Their politics, their doctrines, and the acts, 
Which every early General Court enacts, 
All prove their habits had become so strong, 
They felt each breach of their observance, wrong. 

The wives and daughters of these worthy sires 
"Were equally unconscious of desires 
To imitate the world's profane delights, 
Or to enjoy its vain and fleeting sights. 
And hence with simple plainness they arrayed 
Their forms in such attire, as now displayed, 
"Would so conflict with all your laws of dress, 
That scarcely reverence could your mirth repress ; 
But still these simple daughters of the truth, 
In peaceful age, or in bright gladsome youth, 
Did round then- hearts such robes of beauty wear, 
As never flutter in gay fashion's air. 

And from another fact, we may surmise 
That Virtue dwelt with them without disguise. 
Those human flowers that with such fragrant bloom 
O'er all time's dusty pathways, shed perfume, — 
While waving in life's sunny, morning air, 
Were named in earlier davs from virtues rare. 



70 



Perhaps because their parents had so long 

Made virtue theme for speech, and prayer, and song. 

They thought the graces had, embodied, come 

To cheer their desolate and dreary home. 

So fair young maidens in the forests strayed, 

Or by the dancing waters' green banks played, 

Whom fond endearment called sweet Hope, or Love, 

Mercy, or Patience, Charity, or Dove, 

Or other titles which they seldom grace, 

In whom their charms, as heirlooms, we may trace, — 

Perhaps, because the virtues they suggest 

Have fled to secret corners of the breast. 

If still they find therein such dim retreats, 

And are not exiles from their native seats. 

Whether it be from absence or neglect, 

That none these graces now for names select ; 

Or, what they will more readily confess, 

Their modesty would all such vaunts repress, 

Certain it is, that some their titles choose 

From works too often stained with error's hues. 

Such works as vitiate the fount of life, 

And with rank poison make its waters rife. 

From these productions sometimes come the names 

That mark the flowers that decorate our plains. 

Flowers that no longer grow in Nature free, 

Drinking the sunshine in their eyes of glee, 

Kissing with fragrant lips the merry winds, 

And happy in a joyousness, that finds 

Health, beauty, grace, in freedom from the rules 

That train their progeny in Culture's schools. 

Yet let our numbers not too harshly roll, 

Names are not always symbols of the soul. 

Nor let us laud too highly those fair dames 

Who bore through troubled lives such saintly names. 



71 



Perchance, could we but gain a nearer view, 

This graceful charm would wear a darker hue. 

Patience may vex herself with household cares, 

( >r snarl her troubles in her " Caudle's " ears. 

Malicious Chanty may take delight 

With slanderous tongue to vilify the right. 

Prudence, with natural imprudence, may 

Divulge all secrets to the light of day. 

Temperance on gross indulgence' rocks may dash ; 

Love's gentle eyes with fiery anger flash. 

Hard-hearted Mercy may to prayers be cold, 

Or in remorseless accents loudly scold. 

Experience show her want of wisdom clear, 

And buy her right to her own title dear. 

Sweet, bright-eyed Faith with doubts may be o'erclouded : 

Ainl gay-souled Hope in deep despair be shrouded. 

And thus may each incarnate virtue show, 

That, as waves gleam, while in their depths below, 

Darkness and cold may dwell, names may delude 

By making what is false appear as good. 

The lads, whose tireless feet these woods explored, 
Upon whose limbs a manly strength was poured, — 
Whose vigorous strokes the massy trees displace, 
And raise fair Nature to the Sun's embrace, 
Rejoiced in names that Scripture texts compose, 
As long, as meaning-full, and hard, as those, 
That modern works of science oft contain, — 
Which find no lodgment in a common brain. 

We may not trace the impress which each age 
Has left on History's expanding page, 
We may not find amid the flowing years 
One that resists the current, and uprears 



72 



His name, on virtues or on vices based, 

Whose acts his race exalted or debased. 

Year after year from future's vastness sprung, 

Bore in their arms the deeds as yet unsung, 

And disappeared amid the shadowy throng 

That wait the angelic summons loud and long, 

To rise to life, and to all eyes disclose 

Events that in their close embrace repose. 

Eace after race along the life-track fled, 

With rapid pace to mansions of the dead. 

Each soul with all the earnest passions fired 

That ever have the heart of man inspired ; 

As full of love, of hate, of zeal, of cool 

Indifference to the faults that o'er them rule ; 

As bigoted for trifles, and as free 

To pardon sins that with their lives agree ; 

But with atoning vengeance never spare 

Those who against such sinful acts declare ; 

As eager to increase their stores of wealth, 

To swallow poisons to renew their health ; 

In fine, like all who on this little sphere 

Have danced and mourned their brief and shadowy year. 

While, fir beyond the waters they had passed, 
The stream of life is rushing fierce and fast ; 
While mighty kings, whose names yet blaze on high, 
Like meteors flaming on the midnight sky, 
Nourish their pride and love of power by deeds, 
At whose recital every heart yet bleeds ; 
While the great Louis turns his greedy eye 
On all the nations that around him lie ; 
And seeks, by war's strong arm, to stretch his sway 
Far toward the flashing fountains of the day ; 



73 



While Spanish realms, enriched by golden streams, - 

The grand fulfilment of Columbus' dreams, — 

The prey of savage anarchy, and lust 

Of gold and power, are crumbling to the dust ; 

While over England's fields fraternal blood 

From hostile breasts, roll in congenial flood ; 

While furious tempests toss those ships of State ; 

While Freedom vainly struggles against Fate ; 

And Tyranny's stern foot has trampled down 

Each true esteemer of that bauble — Crown ; 

While murder, rapine, wantonness and war 

Chain every soul to their demoniac car ; 

While scenes so fearful, sorrowful, and vile, 

City and country, lord and slave defile ; — 

Then in this wilderness our fathers thrive, 

Far from their homes guant Poverty they drive ; 

Exhaust their strength upon the sterile soil; 

With every sun renew their healthful toil. 

While our dear mothers, with a loving smile, 

Full oft their weary hearts of cares beguile ; 

Or, busy 'mid their various duties, feel 

Cares that would make, they think, a nation reel; 

And worry out their lives in earnest strife 

To rightly fill that awful office — wife! 

As erst to thirsty crowds, from Horeb's side, 
At Moses' touch, out sprung a living tide, 
So from this rock, when Sabbath mornings shone, 
There flowed for souls a stream of holy tone ; 
And soon, from these green paths, arrayed complete 
With guns and psalm books, they for worship meet, 
When their brave souls on solemn prayer arise, 
And hold sweet converse with their native skies. 



74 



But though they thus, unnoticing the storms 

That madly swept o'er Europe's civil forms, 

Felt all the dignity, delight and care, 

Which each position in this life may bear ; 

Yet one great warfare, they with boldness waged, 

Against the Prince of Evil fiercely raged ; 

Who, they believed, had entered their abode, 

O'er their scant fields had devastating strode, 

Pierced their loved children with sharp burning pains, 

Shot fearful pangs along their quivering veins, 

Bought, at the price of heaven, the old and poor, 

And sought through them the faithful to secure ; 

Sent them abroad on messages of ill, 

The fields to ravage, beast and man to kill. 

Before this shadowy foe they never quailed, 

Boldly his chosen servants they assailed, 

And strove by legal vengeance to destroy 

The Power that would annihilate their joy. 

Although our riper judgment may refuse 

Compliance with such dark and painful views ; 

Though smiles may mingle with our pity, when 

We see such thoughts subduing such brave men, 

We can but grant a courage they possessed, 

Which may perhaps be absent from our breast. 

If farther proof were needed, we could show 

That when the State their rights would overthrow, 

Forbade their hearing or supporting one 

Who preached the dangerous views of Hutchinson, 

To all its edicts they proclaimed defiance, 

On their own wills and weapons placed reliance, 

And, with unblenching firmness, dared to stand 

Against the power and learning of the land. 

Fast to their metaphysic pastor clung, 

Faithful as scandal to the gossip's tongue ; 



75 



And when defeated, inch by inch they yield, 
In slow retreat, the well contested field. 

Soon there appeared a poet, whose great shade 

Perhaps inspires the verses we have made, 

Who wove, in sickness, on dark Fancy's loom, 

The varied aspect of the " Day of Doom." 

Which, wandering down the ages, yet remains, 

Fair sample of onr Fathers' kind of brains. 

This famous poet could, with equal skill, 

Wield harp or scalpel, — form a rhyme or pill. 

And not alone could bend each stubborn word 

By rhythmic music into sweet accord, 

Not only oft then - slight diseases healed 

By balms which harmless herbs and roots may yield, — 

The Sabbath was to him no day of rest ; 

From sacred pulpits he, to souls distrest, 

Prescribed prescriptions, very long but good, 

Which would restore the dying multitude. 

In yonder spot his grave you yet may view, 

And read his epitaph so quaint and true, 

i; Maulden's physician for soul and body too." 

In the same green retreat another lies, 

Who stripped, like him, all sin of its disguise. 

And not through sermons only was the truth 

Announced by him which roused both age and youth ; 

His ardent feelings may be yet discerned, 

In thoughts that through his brain their passage turned ; 

Closing his bold recital of great wrongs, 

In words not ill-becoming martial songs, 

That they would spend, for justice 1 sake, with pleasure, 

" Their blood's last drop, — last farthing of their treasure 



76 



Honor to him, who thus his flock inflamed 

To win a cause through earth's wide borders famed. 

His name suggests the era when desire 

For Independence wrapt their souls in fire : 

And the dear blood that sprinkled Concord's green, — 

In Freedom's glorious strife, the opening scene. 

We hear from those fair fields the deadly gun ; 

We hear the rumor through the hamlet run ; 

We see the mangled bodies of the slain 

Borne through our streets, — in yonder churchyard lain 

And when a few brief weeks their course had rolled, 

Mothers and sisters once again enfold 

Their fathers, brothers, husbands, in their arms, 

Sad, yet serene, amid dread war's alarms. 

One pleasant night, the waters, as they flow 
In graceful windings, playing as they go, 
With polished pebbles, or with wavy grass, 
Bore on their ripples, as on mirrored glass, 
The shadowy, stealthy forms of stalwart men, 
Whose deeds, at morn, proclaimed by voice and pen, 
In every land, throughout all time, shall be 
Inspirers to those struggling to be free : 
On morn's fair face see battle's baleful cloud 
Roll its red ruin. — Hark ! the tumult loud, 
Breaks on the startled silence, and the roar 
Of flame-mouthed cannon bounds along the shore. 
These neighboring hills, that now with smiles behold 
The peace and comfort that these vales enfold, 
Were covered then with women, whose wet eyes 
Were raised in prayer to Him who rules the skies ; 
Or, through the rolling flames, attempt to see 
The forms of friends hi that dread agony. 



77 



The old upon their staves in weakness leaned, 

And gazing dimly, dim conceptions gleaned ; 

For why, thought they, encounter those who claim 

Kindred with us in laws, religion, name ? 

Or how can hope our fervent breasts inspire 

To stay their tyranny, and quench their ire ? 

Young children, now the palsied and the gray, 

Clung to their mothers on that fearful day, 

And from the scene drank sentiments, which still 

Their aged hearts with youthful fervor thrill. 

When darkness, cool and silent, glided down, 

His brow far-flashing with its starry crown, 

Through these same streets, in sadness were they borne, 

Their bodies, with the savage missiles torn, 

Who, on that morn, in contest fierce and gory, 

Baptized yon modest hill in blood and glory. 

Here let us pause ; — we've run with hasty pace 
Along the life-paths of our ancient race ; 
Or from this eminence of time have viewed 
The changeful aspect of the multitude ; 
Have seen the few, whose feet this soil first trod, 
Pass on through suffering to their rest in God ; 
Have noticed how the sons they left behind, 
In greater numbers, through their journey wind ; 
And following races, each in larger bands, 
Enter, possess, and vanish from these lands. 
So have you seen the river at its fount. 
Scarce to the brim its shallow waters mount ; 
With growing depth and swiftness on it sweeps, 
Beyond its narrow channel boldly leaps, 
Till, with unmeasured floods, it rolls along, 
And hails the sea with deep, triumphant song. 



78 



' T would not be useless, had we time and skill, 
To show how great resemblance there is still 
Between those pioneers and us, who now 
Their faults and virtues readily allow. 

Could they by miracle be transferred here, 
Before their wondering senses would appear 
Such mighty proofs of man's improved condition, 
As well might seem to them a madman's vision. 
They would, upspringing from their grassy beds, 
See on our age what lustre Science sheds ; 
See yon steel-breasted, flame-nerved steed, whose feet 
Leap over space, as Homer's coursers fleet, 
Whose every bound embraced the vast expanse 
O'er which the eye from ocean's shore can glance. 
On thoughts, they would magnetic wings perceive, 
By which the circumambient air they cleave 
With speed almost as great, as if their own 
Inherent wings to outward shape had grown. 
They would behold the knowledge, wealth and taste, 
Which crown with beauty this once sterile waste ; 
Enter your dwellings, and, amazed, compare, 
Your daily luxuries with their simple fare ; 
And almost dream that they had wandered far 
Among the dwellers of some distant star. 
Yet could they by the fireside rest their feet, 
And in their antique style their thoughts repeat, 
Soon would this embassy from our far prime, 
Prove manners, but not natures, yield to time ; 
For they would show the same keen eye for trade, 
That ready boldness through all ills to -\vade — 
That calculation, economic, shrewd, 
As to the cost and use of what they viewed. 



79 



Clear may be seen their likeness in the features 
Which us distinguish from our fellow-creatures ; 
Seen in the bustling eagerness that hurls 
The tiny form amid life's stormy whirls, 
While yet on its fair brow play childhood's curls : 
Seen in the restless longing to obtain 
Unchanging triumph over time and pain ; 
Seen in the burning zeal that would consume 
All real or fancied ills in fiery doom, — 
That forms associations to suppress 
Intemperance, slavery, crime and wretchedness ; 
That with a constant urgency of heart 
Would fain the world from its foundations start, 
And place it, whence nor time nor fate can move, 
On God's eternal laws of Truth and Love. 

These are the vital forces that impel 
Mankind from the inertia where they dwell, 
Along the upward, widening way of right, 
Into the regions of unclouded light. 
They would awaken every soul to life, 
Make them with ills engage in manful strife ; 
Send such a sacred influence around, 
That the wide earth should all be holy ground. 
They are the pioneers in every cause 
That aims to introduce God's perfect laws; 
Fly, like the gospel angel, to proclaim 
In heathen climes the Saviour's sacred name: 
Grapple with giant sins that stalk abroad, 
Each, over prostrate souls, a haughty lord ; 
And lay the monsters, fainting, dying, dead — 
Objects of scorn and pity, not of dread. 
See Ignorance with lagging pace retreat 
Before the blessed tread of Learning's feet 



80 



Gnashing his teeth in rage, Intemperance flies, 

Quailing before his Conqueror's holy eyes. 

Revenge, where'er it darkly broods its hate, 

In private hearts or in the public state, 

Before the melting power of Love gives way, 

And over heart or state no more holds sway. 

Vile appetites, that, unconstrained, controlled 

Abandoned natures, find against them rolled 

Those waves of purity that overflow 

Their vileness, and a heavenly grace bestow. 

War — cruel, bloody, favorite child of sin, 

Whose trophies for her cause great triumph win — 

At whose appearance, shadows cold and fell 

Engloom Joy's founts that from glad natures well, — 

Shrinks, totters, falls, compelled his power to cease, 

Before Religion's meek-eyed daughter, Peace. 

Yet not content with efforts to reform 
The evils, that their own domain deform, 
Their flowing sympathies engirt the world — 
Round every heart are their love-tendrils curled. 
Hence they through danger bear the trembling slave 
To Freedom's home, from Slavery's living grave ; 
Oppose polygamy in Hindostan, 
Preach toleration to the Vatican, 
Intrude their socialist advice on France, 
Bid modern Greece to ancient fame advance, 
On famished Ireland's erics place instant check, 
And strive to free from Britain's yoke her neck. 
And thus they see in every man, a brother, 
And will not let self-love such feelings smother. 
While some, to such extent this feeling cherish^ 
That were all sin upon the earth to perish, 



81 



They would resort to other sin-struck spheres, 
Transferring thence the joy that here appears. 

But these same traits that make their spirits burn, 

The world from darkness to the light to turn, 

To make mankind all holy virtues learn, 

Will, uncontrolled by moral sense, display 

A mode of action quite the other way. 

If discontented with their present state, 

They stand not murmuring at their evil fate ; 

But eagerly to regions they repair, 

Where hearts, their joys, with no sad troubles, share. 

Hence northern breezes freeze their daring sails ; 

Hence on their brows play soft the southern gales ; 

Hence they through western prairies drive the plough ; 

In eastern climes, at Monarchs' footstools bow; 

To Tasso's song skim Venice' moonlit wares ; 

Tear with the cruel lash proud Freedom's slaves ; 

Leap from their floating prisons on the strand, 

And waste life's sands in gathering golden sand. 

But long ago, I fear my rapid song 
Outran the patience of this hungry throng; 
And therefore it becomes me to give way 
For scenes where every tongue may gladly play. 

When two more centuries shall join the past, 
And in our places stand the myriad vast 
That then shall animate our native dust, 
To note the relics given to their trust, 
They will discern, we hope, a nobler grace 
Adorn the features of the coming race ; 
Will see in them such heavenly virtues shine, 
As speak the impress of a Power Divine. 



82 



They will, no doubt, see great advancement made 

In knowledge, politics, the fashions, trade. 

Each beggar then shall own his rood of land ; 

Each soul shall sunder every selfish band ; 

And Science shall bring down for household use, 

Eruits of research, both brilliant and profuse ; 

And boldly seizing nature's every gem, 

Shall, with their glory, stud her diadem. 

And they will look on us, from out their state, 

As almost worthy of a better fate, 

Than to have lived in such an age as this, 

With such impediments to perfect bliss. 

Yet what care we, if pity or if scorn, 

May seize their souls on that far distant morn ? 

We surely find enough to give debght, 

In all the pleasures that attract our sight. 

Then let our souls with gratitude recount, 

The joys that flow from our ancestral fount ; 

And let the ready tongue with glee proclaim 

The feelings that such natal days inflame. 

Let mirth abound, — let waves of music roll, 

And highest bliss crown each exulting soul. 



THE CELEBRATION. 



The day appointed for the celebration was one of the 
most favorable that could have been desired. Very unpleas- 
ant days had preceded it, and early on this morning there 
was an abundant rain, which effectually laid the dust of 
the streets, and clothed the fields in robes of the deepest 
green. The morning, after sunrise, was one of uncommon 
loveliness. A light and gentle breeze came from the South 
West, that tempered, to a good degree, the sun's rays, which 
otherwise might have been rather too powerful for the com- 
fort of those who took part in the interesting ceremonies of 
the occasion. 

At sunrise the merry peals of the village bells and the 
booming of cannon, announced to the citizens that a day of 
no ordinary import was breaking upon them ; and at that 
early hour, strangers from all the neighboring towns were 
wending their way to the scenes of the festivities. By nine 
o'clock the streets were literally alive with people, a most 
pleasing feature being the unusually large attendance of New 
England women. The military escort, composed of the 
Washington Light Infantry, Capt. Cassell, of Boston, accom- 
panied by the Brigade Band, went out in the nine o'clock 
train, and were marched to the Pavillion erected in " Bell- 
Rock Pasture," where a bountiful breakfast was provided for 
them ; after partaking of which they were marched to the 
ground where the procession was to be formed. A few min- 
utes after ten, A. M., the main body of the procession com- 
menced forming in the street in front of the Universalist 
church. The other divisions were formed on the streets 
designated in a printed programme. A very short time 



84 

having been occupied in the formation, the procession com- 
menced its line of march in the following order : 

The Chief Marshal, Augustus L. Barrett, and his aids, 
Aaron Barrett, Charles Eastham, J. P. Lord, Francis Odi- 
orne ; the Washington Light Infantry preceded by the 
Brigade Band, and accompanied by a full staff; the Fire 
Department of Maiden, — the Volunteers, their engine drawn 
by two horses, being very tastefully and gaily decorated with 
evergreens and flowers ; the Gen. Taylor, — the engine of 
this company being as tastefully dressed as the preceding, 
and drawn by four horses ; the Alert and Endeavor, each in 
elegant order ; after these there were two companies of 
boys, with engines of small capacity. The firemen all made 
a fine appearance in their neat and serviceable uniforms. 
The Suffolk Brass Band of Boston, came between the fire 
companies. Following the Fire Department were the Ora- 
tor ; President of the Day ; Poet ; Chaplain ; Vice Presi- 
dents ; Committee of Arrangements ; Selectmen and Town 
Clerk ; Treasurer and Overseers of the Poor ; Assessors ; 
Choir ; Invited Guests ; Clergymen ; Physicians ; Members 
of the Bar, resident and non-resident. In the rear of these 
were two open barouches, the first containing Hon. John P. 
Bigelow and George Washington Warren, Esq., the Mayors 
of Boston and Charlestown, Hon. Samuel T. Armstrong of 
Boston, and Rev. Aaron Green of Andover. The second 
carriage contained some of the most aged men of the town ; 
and a third was well filled with venerable women, " Mothers 
in Israel," who could point to the Orator of the Day and to 
its chief Actors, as did the Roman Cornelia, the mother of 
the Gracchi, to her sons, and say, " These are our Jewels." 

The second division was led by James C. Richardson, 
Chief Marshal ; aids, Reuben Higgins, H. W. Van Voorhis. 
Then came Flagg's Brass Band, followed by two Lodges of 
Odd Fellows, the " Middlesex," of Maiden, and the " Bay 
State," of Lynn. There were also members in different 
regalia from that worn by the lodges above named. Follow- 
ing the Odd Fellows, were the School Committee, citizens at 
large, and strangers. The procession marched through 
Main, Salem, Sprague, Spring, Main, Mill, Washington and 
Pleasant streets, and crossing the Railroad, to the old Dex- 
ter place on the Medford road, and after wheeling under 



85 

the large elms, countermarched through Pleasant and Main 
streets, to the Congregational Church, where it was joined 
by the ladies who had assembled en masse, marshals having 
been detailed to look after them, and to provide an opening 
in the column. From the church the procession continued 
its march to "Bell-Rock Pasture," which point it reached at 
about twelve, M. Flags were strung across the streets, arches 
erected, handsomely decorated with evergreen wreaths, flow- 
ers and streamers, and appropriately inscribed ; and sev- 
eral private dwellings made a very handsome display of 
" bunting." The stars and stripes floated from all the prom- 
inent flag-staffs in the village. The procession made a very 
handsome appearance, and was especially pleasing to the 
man of sober taste, on account of the order and regularity 
with which it was conducted. Business was suspended, 
nearly every store in the village being closed. 

Upon the arrival of the procession at " Bell-Rock Pas- 
ture," the escort drew up in line to receive the civil portion ; 
the firemen maiched into the grounds and took a position on 
the right of the speaker's stand. The Orator, President of 
the day, and others, took seats upon the stand, where were 
settees provided sufficient to accommodate some one hundred 
or one hundred and fifty persons. The stand was erected 
upon the Western declivity of the rock, with a gentle swell 
of land in front, and an unobstructed view to the right over 
Mystic river, to the far-off" hills of Medford, West Cambridge, 
&c. Directly in front of the stand, some two hundred or 
more yards distant, is the mansion in which the Hon. James 
D. Green, the Orator of the day, was born ; on the left the 
old parsonage house. The time, the occasion, the thick and 
crowding recollections of the past, with the scenes of boy- 
hood's happy hours, produced a most happy effect upon the 
orator, and nerved him to discharge, in a perfectly satisfac- 
tory manner, the ever onerous duty of addressing a large 
multitude in the open air. 

Upon the Speaker's stand there were, among others, Hon. 
John P. Bigelow, Samuel T. Armstrong, Rev. Messrs. 
Streeter, Neal and Church, of Boston, Rev. Mr. Hague of 
Roxbury, Rev. Mr. Whittemore of Cambridge, Rev. Messrs. 
Buddington and Ellis, George Washington Warren, and 
Richard Frothingham, Jr., Esqs., of Charlestown, Rev. Dr. 



86 

Ballou of Medford, Hon. Daniel P. Kino; of Danvers, Rev. Mr. 
Upham of Salem, Hon Isaac Hill of New Hampshire, Rev. 
Aaron Green, former pastor of Maiden, but now a resident 
of Andover. Mr. Green was at this time 84£ years of age, 
and an uncle of James D. Green. The venerable man man- 
ifested the liveliest interest in all the proceedings which took 
place upon the ground, his age and infirmities forbidding his 
participating in the dinner. • 

As soon as the company, to the number of nearly three 
thousand, was seated, (a large number of seats had been 
erected upon the grass in front of the stand,) Gilbert Haven, 
Esq., President of the day, requested silence, after which 
a very beautiful piece of music was played by the Brigade 
Band. The choir, the Band playing an accompaniment, then 
sang the following original hymn, written for the occasion by 
Rev. Stillman Pratt : 

Tune — North Bend. 

Ilere echoed once the red man's song, 

His council-fire gleamed bright, 
He roamed the native woods along, 

In all his conscious right. 

Two hundred years have rolled away 

Since here our fathers came ; 
And we their sons come here to-day 

To celebrate their fame. 

In days of yore these hills have rung 

With sounds of martial fight, 
And rolling clouds of smoke have hung 

Above yon lofty height. 

But thunder-clouds of war have passed, 

And brightly on their van 
The bow of promise seems to rest, 

That pledge of good to man. 

Chief, Indian, Sire and Heroes, they 

Live only now in song ; 
The tide of time bears all away, 

Nor can we tarry long. 



87 

God of the nations ! in Thy sight 

A thousand years are one, — 
Oh ! here defend us by Thy might. 

Then take us to Thy throne. 

Rev. A. W. M'CIure, Chaplain of the day, then read 
selections from Scripture, as follows: Deuteronomy, chap, 
xxxii., from the 7th to the 14th verse; Psalms, chap, xlviii. 
entire — lxxviii., from the 1st to the 8th verse — xliii., from 
the 51st to the 53d ; chap, viii., verse 1, from the 8th to the 
11th, and from the 14th to the 19th. 

A solemn and impressive prayer was made by the Chap- 
lain, after which the choir sang the following original hymn, 
written for the occasion, by Rev. John G. Adams : 

Tune — Savannah. 
God of our fathers ! at this holy hour 

We come with hearts uplifted to Thy throne ; 
While nations vanish, Thou in deathless power 

Dost live and reign unrivalled and alone. 

'Tis meet that wc should praise Thy glorious name, 
Who to our fathers wert a shield and guide, 

As hither in the days of old they came, 

Strong through their trust in Thee, though weak beside. 

We bless Thee that the seed so early sown 
Of Truth and Freedom on this soil we tread, 

Such life hath found, such fruitfulness hath shown, 
To such a wide and hopeful growth hath sped. 

Henceforth, we pray, be thy sustaining hand 

With us, and those who after us appear, 
The children of our consecrated land, 

The guardians of our homes and temples here. 

Make each obedient to thy wise behest, 

Not in the past or present good to stay, 
But still to toil that earth may yet be blest, 

With the full fruits of Freedom's perfect day. 

Then followed the Address by the Orator of the day, Hon. 
James D. Green, of Cambridge. It was an effort every way 



honorable to himself, his native town, and the occasion. 
A voluntary by the band succeeded the oration, after winch 
Gilbert Haven, Jr., delivered the Poem, abounding in 
satirical hits and playful puns, more especially upon the 
names so common upon the records of the town of Maiden. 
There were many lines which spoke well for the young 
man's taste, and gave evidence of good powers of versifica- 
tion. During the delivery of the last part of the Poem, the 
appearance of dark and threatening clouds in the South 
West, caused the audience to be somewhat impatient ; so 
that the following Hymn, which it was intended the whole 
congregation should sing, after hearing it " lined out," ac- 
cording to ancient usage, by Dea. William Oliver, was omitted. 

Tukb — St. Martins. 

Let children hear the mighty deeds 

Which God performed of old; 
"Which in our younger years we saw, 

And which our fathers told. 

He hids us make his glories known — 

His works of power and grace ; 
And we '11 convey his wonders down 

To every rising race. 

Our lips shall tell them to our sons, 

And they again to theirs ; 
That generations yet unhorn 

May teach them to their heirs. 

Thus shall they learn, in God alone 

Their hope securely stands ; 
That they may ne'er forget his works, 

But practice his commands. 

The Benediction was pronounced by Rev. C. B. Smith, 
and the exercises in this place closed ; the company having 
been occupied with them about three and a half hours. 

A procession was formed of persons holding tickets, which 
marched, and in double quick time, as it commenced raining 
just at the moment, to the immense Pavilion erected as a 



89 

" dining hall 5" this was, however, but a few steps distant 
from the spot where the oration was delivered. After the 
company had mostly gained admission to the tent, the rain 
came down merrily, and the wind blew so freshly as to cause 
considerable flattering of the canvas, and this created some 
little stir among the people inside. But at four, P. M., after 
a good heating, in a tolerably warm sun, for three hours and 
a half, people were too much engaged with what was before 
them, to think seriously of the weather outside. 

Thirty tables were set in this pavilion, and plates provided 
for nearly 2000 people, and most of the seats were occupied. 
The tables were handsomely laid out, and a large number of 
bouquets were disposed in vases upon them. The view pre- 
sented after the seats were filled with ladies and gentlemen, 
was one of the finest ever witnessed. 

Mr. J. B. Smith of Boston, provided the dinner, and his 
entire arrangements did him great credit. 

The Rev. Mr. Neale of Boston, invoked the divine bless- 
ing, after which the company bestowed their attention upon 
the good things set before them. After a reasonable time 
had been allowed to satisfy the cravings of the appetite, the 
President gave notice that the regular toasts would be 
announced by the toast-master, James Eaton, Esq. This 
gentleman in accepting the trust, announced that he was a 
small man, with a small voice, and he begged the closest 
attention that he might be heard. The first regular toast 
was as follows : 

The Day we celebrate. An experiment continued through 
two hundred years and attended by constant social advance- 
ment, attests the permanence of our municipal institutions, 
and the wisdom of their founders. 

To this toast the Rev. Mr. M'Clure responded, remarking 
that it was ever an unpleasant duty to break the ice upon 
a festive occasion ; it was hardly proper, however, for him to 
speak of ice on the present occasion, as he could trace none 
in the countenances around him, and knew of none except 
what had gone into the pitchers. He should take the liberty 
of relating one or two historical incidents. Some seven or 
eight months after Winthrop's arrival in America, say in 
February, 1631, he crossed with companions the Mystic river, 
walked two or three miles, till he came to a pond filled with 
7 



90 

crocks projecting above the water, and spotting, as it were, its 
• entire surface. From its peculiar appearance, it was called 
Spot Pond, a name which it bears until the present day. 
Walking some distance further, Winthrop came to a high 
irock, and here the party sat down to lunch ; unfortunately, 
•the servant, in putting up the provisions, had put up the usual 
quantity of cheese but no bread, and the party had to make 
-the most of the cheese. Had the worthy old governor been 
here to-day, we could handsomely mend his fare. From 
that circumstance the rock, which is in the lovely locality 
known as " Wyoming," has ever since been known as Cheese 
Rock. The Rev. gentleman spoke of the simple declaration 
•x>f the General Court incorporating the town of Maiden, and 
contrasted it with the method adopted in conferring the royal 
charters. 

He related the following anecdote of the Rev. Peter 
Thatcher, one of his predecessors in the ministry of Maiden. 
On one occasion he called in the afternoon upon a lady, poor 
but proud. The good lady met him at the door, her counte- 
nance all wreathed in smiles. She was very sorry that her 
pastor had not come to dine, she had so nice a turkey, and 
she knew he loved turkey so much. " No doubt of it, no 
doubt of it, madam ;" — was the reply of the reverend man. 
" I perceive you have had turkey for dinner, and here is a 
feather of it on your kerchief." Awful to relate, that feather 
was a respectable dab of mush and molasses ! Often, 
after his removal to the Brattle street Church, did that 
eloquent and popular divine " keep the table in a roar " 
at the numerous dining parties of his day, where he was 
ever a welcome guest, by rehearsing this incident ; and that 
primitive dish known as " hasty pudding," and so scientifically 
described by the famous Count Rumford, was long known in 
fashionable parlance as " Maiden turkey." He could appeal, 
however, to the throng of guests before him, to say whether 
the turkies consumed on the present occasion were not of the 
veritable breed. The orator of the day, in his admirable ad- 
dress, had spoken of an old-fashioned attempt at" annexation," 
by which this town had sought to annex to its possessions the 
tract of land once known as Pennicook. A friend by his 
side had suggested that the cook who had been annexed to 
Maiden for this occasion, was certainly no " penny cook." 



91 

The rejoicings of the day, so deep and full, testified to the 
greatness and value of the blessings we inherit from our 
fathers ; and the enthusiastic and grateful sense of these 
blessings on our part, is the best pledge that the God of our 
father-: will continue his mercies to us, and to our children 
and descendants in centuries to come. 

The toast-master announced the second regular toast : 

The Orator of the Day. Though belonging to the ever- 
greens of the forest, may he and his family, in all its branch- 
es, flourish like " Squire Green's Oak," — that " brave old 
oak." 

The Hon. James D. Green remarked, that he would not 
certainly inflict a speech upon his audience after all he 
had said to-day. But he could do no less than express his 
gratitude for the generous sentiments conveyed in the toast, 
and the feelino allusion made to his ancestry, long residents 
of Maiden. Mr. Green exhibited two deeds, (the originals,) 
of land sold to, and in possession of, his family at the present 
day. One was from Abraham Palmer, and 201 years old ; 
the other was dated 1678, from the Rev. Mr. Blackman, for 
the land upon which the pavillion was located. Mr. Green 
closed with the following sentiment : 

The Founders of Maiden. Puritans in principle, — Puri- 
tans in practice ; may their memories be cherished and their 
characters revered throughout all generations. 

The following was the third regular toast : 

The youthful Poet of the Bay. Through all tbe storms 
of life, may he invariably find himself in a sure haven, and 
at last come to a safe anchor in the port of eternal peace. 

Gilbert Haven, Jr., returned his thanks for the honor 
that had this day been conferred upon him, and gave the 
subjoined toast: 

The Old Times and the New. May we prove, the better 
the day the better is the deed. 

Fourth regular toast: 

The Mystic South-side Men. Let our ancient mother town 
ever be the worthy guardian of Bunker's hill ; and let that 
proud eminence ever boast a Warren among its defenders. 

George Washington Warren, Esq., Mayor of Charles- 
town, responded to this sentiment, but spoke only for a 
moment. He gave as follows : 



Maiden and the other Towns set off from Charlestown. 
May the Monument upon Bunker Hill be a perpetual memo- 
rial unto them of amity and prosperity. 

The Brigade Band, at this point, furnished some of their 
excellent music, which was long and loudly applauded. 
Indeed the band played after almost every regular toast, and 
after several volunteers. The fifth regular toast was an- 
nounced by Mr. Eaton, the toast-master, as follows : 

The City of Boston. The first-born of Charlestown, and 
our elder sister ; we regard her with pride as the " bright 
consummate flower " of the family. May she continue to 
flourish so long as the Cochituate shall flow from her foun- 
tains, and grass grow on her Common. 

This called up Hon. John P. Bigelow, Mayor of Boston, 
who made a most beautiful and touching speech, which found 
a ready response in the breast of almost everj r individual 
present. He said that he had come to the festivities rather 
unexpectedly to himself, with no intention to speak, but 
rather with the hope that he might be permitted to listen to 
the remarks of others. But the sentiment just uttered, and 
the manner in which his good friends had received it, was so 
gratifying to him that he could do no less than respond to it. 
He could assure all within the sound of his voice, that the 
sentiments of kindness expressed, were duly reciprocated by 
the people of Boston ; and nothing, all must admit, is more 
fitting and proper than that good will should prevail between 
the city and its environs. Indeed, the environs are as much 
a part of the city, as the territory which lies within her more 
immediate borders ; they form part of her peculiar glory. 
Boston without her environs, if such a state of things were 
possible, would be like a diamond without its setting. But 
now she is like that diamond set in a range of brilliants, each 
one of which is as bright, if not as great, as that which fills 
the centre ; all being set in the pure and refined gold of 
much good love and mutual esteem. 

For none of the beautiful towns which skirt her borders 
does Boston feel a stronger afFection and regard than she does 
for the town of Maiden. The rapid strides which the town 
has made in wealth and prosperity have commanded the 
respect and esteem of her more wealthy neighbor. The 
speaker remarked that he was not bom in the immediate 



93 

vicinity of Maiden, but that he passed some of his early 
life in the neighboring village of Medford. And he was 
highly gratified to see many old familiar faces around him. 
There was once prevalent an old legend that the name of 
Mystic was a corruption of the word mistake. The first 
settlers expected to find gold in this region, and in their vex- 
ation and disappointment very naturally applied to the river 
a term expressive of that vexation and disappointment. In 
process of time the word mistake was corrupted into Mystic. 
But our fathers made a greater mistake in the second than 
they did in the first instance, as a glance at the broad basin 
of the Mystic river, dotted with its numerous and thriving 
villages, and teeming with agricultural wealth, with two large 
cities located at its mouth, will fully prove. Whatever may 
be the truth of the legend, and it did not become the speaker 
to pronounce an opinion upon it, in the presence of so many 
who had explored the mine of history with so much more 
care than himself, our fathers, though disappointed in finding 
all they sought, still found a place to worship God after the 
dictates of their own consciences. To cast the eye to the West, 
he might add, what was once a dreary and desolate waste is 
now covered with fruitful fields and beautiful gardens, and the 
busy hum of industry is heard in every corner. These are 
the results of the trials and the principles of our fathers. 
And it is fitting that on a day like the present we should look 
back and ponder well upon their history. Mr. Bigelovv closed 
with proposing the following sentiment : 

Centennial Celebrations. Strikings of the great clock of 
time, which admonish us to ponder upon the teachings uf the 
past, and rightly appreciate the responsibilities of the present. 

The Rev. Mr. M'Clure said ihat the gentleman who had 
just taken his seat, was an inveterate joker, and a great sinner 
in the matter of puns. Why, he had heard him in the morn- 
ing remark to Rev. Mr. Streeter, of Boston, that the whole 
population were Strecters to-day. Mr. Eaton, the toast- 
master, had said that he was a small man and had a small 
voice. And to this the gentleman had replied — no doubt it 
is true ; how can it be otherwise, for he is eaten " up." Mr. 
M'Clure proposed the following: 

The Mayor of Boston. May he never want for a good 
dinner; may his shadow never be less, and may he always 
be Big-below. 



94 

Mr. James Eaton said he must pay his friends in their 
own coin, and he proposed : 

Our Neighbor of Boston. Unsurpassed by any other city, 
Big-or-low. 

Sixth regular toast : 

The Maiden Family. Whether home-born or adopted, — 
may all its members rejoice as one in its common honor and 
prosperity. 

To this toast the Rev. John G. Adams, of Maiden, 
responded, by saying, that, though not Maiden born, he had 
good reason for being thankful for town associations, connec- 
tions, and dependencies. These served to render his affec- 
tion for this people strong ; and had induced him to look 
forward with no small degree of interest to this social 
ingathering, and now prompted him to express the thoughts 
which had come uppermost in view of the occasion. 

Our town, he continued, Mr. President, though not indeed 
so large, nor so noted, as some others in our state, has had 
its honorable place among the records of them all ; and is 
doubtless destined to a higher significance in the future, than 
circumstances have ever allowed it in days now gone. After 
an infancy of two hundred years, it will make its place and 
consequence known with a new power, as it shall rapidly 
advance to a vigorous maturity. 

Of great adventurers, famed military leaders, or eminent 
statesmen, Maiden has made no boast. Her fathers knew 
the worth of their own homesteads, and took good care of 
them, and with them, of the town. This is something to say 
of any ancestry ; more than can be said of all. When the 
general good was sought, or at stake, they were ready to do 
their part in sustaining it. And if they had no distinguished 
military leaders, they had those as chiefs, who, I must think, 
were of more value to them ; I mean their spiritual guides, 
men like Wigglesworth, Parsons, Emerson, Thacher, and 
Willis, men of good consciences, clear heads, firm wills, and 
generous active hands. They had others, too, besides those 
of the clerical profession, whose names honor the records of 
the town. YVhelher serving themselves or their fellow 
citizens as farmers, mechanics, tradesmen, physicians, 
teachers, town officers, or representatives to " the great and 
general court," whether by land or by sea, they have con- 



95 

tributed in their day something to that common stock of polit- 
ical and religious blessing, in which we are at this moment 
rejoicing. Names of these ancestors represented here to-day 
in their descendants, occur to me ; the Sargeants, Spragues, 
Dexters, VVaitts, Uphams, Lyndes, Greens, Barretts, Tufts, 
Pratts, Whittemores, Hills, Harndens, and others, names of 
those who wished well, and prayed and labored for their pos- 
terity. Honor to their memories ! To us these memories 
shall be great and dear. Honor to yonder old burial-place 
where the sacred dust of many of them reposes ! Welcome 
to their spirits if they shall this day linger near us ! While 
we wonder that they have thus passed in bodily form, and 
being, away, let us thank God for what they have left us of 
truth, integrity, and Christian principle, that can never die! 

We are told that when our ancestors made their settle- 
ment at Shawmut, now Boston, they sent out a number of 
persons to examine the country to the North, who, having 
searched the first range of hills, probably the range near us, 
then covered with forests, returned and reported, that, having 
reached a mountainous and rocky country, they deemed it 
best to come back, as there was little probability that the set- 
tlement would ever extend beyond these mountains. Short 
sighted indeed are many human calculations ; — and what a 
comment do we now read on this prophecy of the first ex- 
plorers of our land. Two centuries, and the tide of popula- 
tion has swelled and gone onward in every direction. Moun- 
tains are now no longer obstacles to its coming. They are 
bored, tunnelled, or levelled as the case may be. Men have 
now larger notions of enterprise and empire, than most of 
our ancestors, from the very nature of things, could have 
entertained. Could some of these worthies now come forth 
from their quiet resting places, and give us audience with 
them, they would see and hear of change such as in their 
highest visions they had not conceived. Across their " penny 
ferry" they would find the durable granite passage-way; 
instead of their sparsely set houses, the growing village, or 
embryo city ; instead of their one solitary meeting-house, 
thirty-three by thirty-three, six or seven new churches of most 
agreeable aspect, and school-houses of unquestionable im- 
provement on all that have been before ; and instead of the 
old road to Boston, round the hill, and travelled by those who 



96 

rode mostly on horseback, they would perceive along by that 
lightning telegraph, the iron rail, and hear the thundering of 
the train, the bell and whistle of ihe locomotive, and see the 
throngs of passengers to and fro, at almost every hour, each 
day. And more than this. Beyond these hills, once bar- 
riers, and far, far on every hand, would they hear the same 
thundering, and witness the same lightning of enterprise. 
North to the Canadas, South to Mexico, West to the Pacific, 
where the Oregon rolls, and now " hears other sound save 
his own dashings, 1 ' would they track this march of empire, 
all, too, under such an ideal of freedom, as the world hath 
never seen before. " The little one has become a thousand, 
the small one a great nation ; " and this nation with so brief 
a history, containing in itself, so far as human prophecy can 
determine, only the first developments of a new and higher 
life of empire and humanity. They would look with aston- 
ishment on this marvellous change. So may we look upon it 
as it still operates, under the guiding hand of the Most High. 
And looking, we may ask, not only our destination, but our 
high responsibility and duty. 

It is a peculiar moment for such an inquiry to come. 
When such new light is shed upon us from the experience of 
the past, from the free thought of the present, from a right- 
eous faith in the future ; when Europe trembles in view of her 
vanishing thrones ; when Asia responds to the march of 
Christianity and civilization ; and sable Africa "stretches out 
her hands to God;" when truth, justice, human right and 
human freedom lay their claims more imperatively than ever 
upon our nature, and are answered in tones of obedience, 
and self-sacrifice and holy exultation that echo round the 
world ! 

Such thoughts carry us beyond this little space we occupy 
to-day, consecrated though it be ; they remind us of its 
connection with our whole country, and with " the great globe 
which we inherit:" of our position not only with fellow 
townsmen, but as fellow servants of our country and our 
race. Belonging, as we do, to this advance guard in the 
march of nations, what better can we do on this high occa- 
sion, than to remind one another of the work devolving upon 
us, if we would carry out in practice the great principles of 
political and religious freedom, which were set up with the 



97 

altars of our ancestors, on the shores of New England, two 
hundred years ago. To us there come at this hour voices of 
the past ; voices of truthful admonition, and paternal love. 
"Children, learn ye in the midst of these changes, your 
labor and your power. Be not high minded, but fear. Re- 
member that the God of the past liveth evermore, and that 
he judgeth in the earth. Of him to whom much is given, 
much is also required. Bear it in mind that extent of terri- 
tory is not strength, that wealth and intellectual skill, and 
enterprise and conquest, and temporal prosperity, make not 
a state or nation of enduring character, and lasting fame ; 
but Christian truth and righteousness reigning in the people ! " 

Fellow citizens and friends ; be this our highest thought 
to-day ; in our music, and song, and hilarity ; in our mutual 
greetings and joys ; in our " feast of reason and flow of soul." 
So shall the occasion be one of blessing to us, and of honor 
to the memory of our fathers. I offer you this sentiment: 

The Settlement of Maiden. A small thing in its day, un- 
der this side of the obstructing ridges that seemed to bound 
the march of the population. May the righteous influence 
of that feeble beginning extend to the utmost bounds of 
earth's everlasting hills. 

Seventh regular toast: 

The Old Bay State. Foremost in the battles of freedom, 
and foremost in the arts of peace, " which hath its victories 
no less than war," — she has an arm strong to uphold the 
dignity of all useful labor. 

To this sentiment the Hon. Samuel T. Armstrong briefly 
responded. He said if he were abroad, and if such a senti- 
ment were uttered, he could dilate with great pleasure upon 
the glories of the good old Bay State ; but at home he must 
forbear, although a most fruitful theme was offered for his 
consideration. He gave — 

The Memory of Wigglesworth, and the other Puritan 
Clergy. May their successors imitate their example, and 
hereafter share in their glory. 

Mr. Eaton announced the following, the eighth regular 
toast : 

The American Union. May this vast family of sister 
States ever form one united household, and may there be no 
strife among them except an emulation to see which shall go 



98 

farthest in the career of political, social, and moral im- 
provement. 

The Hon. Daniel P. King, of Danvers, member of Con- 
gress from the 2d district, was called upon by the President 
to respond to this toast. He said that, instead of answering 
for the Union, he should much prefer to answer for District 
No. 2, or for the town of Maiden, which had given him less work 
to do than any other town in his district. Not long since he 
was dining in the Old Dominion, whose natural resources are 
almost boundless. Upon the table were strawberries and 
other fruit and vegetables. Being a Yankee abroad, if not 
at home, he asked the landlord where he procured his fruit, 
&c, — from a place ninety miles distant from the town where 
he was dining, was the reply. And why not, further inquired 
Mr. King, raise them here, your butter and cheese also, where 
the soil apparently is very fertile and easy of cultivation. 
Because, replied the landlord, the people do not appear to be 
interested in gardening. Upon his return from the State he 
passed a battle field, but it was not the field of Lexington or 
Bunker Hill, but the field of Bladensburg, where American 
soldiers fled like whipped spaniels. And why did our sol- 
diers run? asked Mr. King of a resident of the place. This 
was his reply, — " Somehow or other they did not appear in- 
terested in the malter of fighting." But you and I, continued 
Mr. King, and indeed all our people are interested in the cul- 
tivation of the sod, and our past history shows that we are 
interested also in its defence. Mr. King concluded with the 
following sentiment : 

The Men of Mystic Side and the neighboring Towns. The 
battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill have made them blood 
relations. Their past history, and the history of the present 
day, will show that they at least are able to defend their 
native soil. 

The ninth regular toast was as follows : 

The Reverend Clergy. As those who should be first and 
foremost in every good thing, may they ever lead, as well as 
point, their flocks to Heaven. 

The Rev. Dr. Church made a brief response, in which he 
stated that the New England clergy needed no eulogium, 
as their monument was raised in the establishment of the 
School and College system in the State. 



99 

Mr. Church took occasion to speak in exalted terms of 
Jonathan Edwards. He considered That in intellectual capacity- 
Edwards, John Calvin, and Augustine hold the same rank in 
the department of theology, as Alexander, CcDsar, and Napo- 
leon do in the history of war. He hoped that the New Eng- 
land clergy would retain the virtue and piety of the New 
England character, and that it would be sustained by a 
Puritan faith. 

The Rev. Mr. Adams, Chairman of the Committee of Ar- 
rangements, here read the following note from the Rev. Dr. 
Pierce, of Brookline : 

Brookline, May 19, 1849. 

Wm. H. Richardson, Jr., Esq. — Dear Sir, — It is to me a 
grievous disappointment, who have always delighted in such 
scenes, that ill health must prevent me from uniting in your 
memorable celebration on the 23d inst. 

I take the liberty to send by this conveyance a sentiment 
to which I am confident you will all cordially respond : 

To the Memory of Dr. Ezra Green, a native of this town. 
A highly respectable graduate of Harvard University of 
1765, whose valuable life extended over more than one half 
the period which with festive rites we this day celebrate. 

Wishing you and your fellow townsmen all the satisfaction 
which such an occasion cannot fail to inspire, 

Sir, 1 am yours sincerely, 

John Pierce. 

The Rev. Mr. M'Clure, in behalf of the Rev. Aaron 
Green, alluded to at the commencement of this report, of- 
fered the following sentiment: 

The Town of Maiden. The former generations passed 
away. May their memory be long and affectionately cher- 
ished by their descendants and friends, and may the present 
inhabitants be as distinguished for true religion, Christian 
charity, and the practice of every moral virtue, as they are 
for the rapid increase of their numbers, and the success of 
their business. 

The following was the tenth regular toast : 

The Young Men of Maiden. They have this day given 
practical proof of their ability to follow in the footsteps of 
their illustrious predecessors ; may they in their turn transmit 



100 

to future generations enduring mementos of worth and 
usefulness. 

To this, Wm. II. Richardson, Jr., one of the Vice Presi- 
dents, made the following reply : 

I consider myself honored, Mr. President, in being thus 
called upon to respond to a sentiment addressed to the young 
men of Maiden. But it were vain for me to attempt a full 
expression of the feelings of my heart on this occasion. It 
is related of Edmund Burke, when called upon to speak, at 
his own installation as Lord Rector of the University of Glas- 
gow, he faltered, and remained mute ; a fitting response to 
the sublime spectacle then presenting itself. And this occa- 
sion is so full of historical recollection and interest, so fraught 
with moral sublimity, that all who take part in the exercises 
must feel the feebleness of language to embody the emotions 
of their hearts. We have assembled to listen to a recital of 
the deeds of our fathers, — venerated ones long since departed ; 
to consult the pages of history ; to be inspired by the deeds of 
virtue therefrom recorded, and appealing so directly to every 
true son and daughter of Maiden. We have come to take 
note of events which have made the past significant. Truly 
and eloquently have they been presented to us in the thrilling 
Oration and classic Poem. This retrospect is replete with 
interest. Its lessons should not pass unheeded by those of 
us just started upon the highway of life. To the young men 
of Maiden is this day's history particularly directed. As we 
look around and behold the many sons of our ancient town, 
some of whom have gone from her borders to ' seek in the 
crowded city, or in classic seclusion, that return for their labors 
which their ambition shall merit, our hearts swell with pride 
and thanksgiving. Now they return to their Alma Mater to 
participate in the celebration of her natal day, and once more 
to renew their vows upon the altar of their childhood's home ; 
to revisit that spot of all the earth to them most dear, where 
they first lisped the prayer of infancy, and were instructed 
in the sublime truths which the Christian revelation unfolds. 
They come thus to be edified and refreshed, that they may pur- 
sue life's journey with new encouragement and stronger faith. 
Sir, we should see vigorous offshoots from this stock of the 
past. The fruit of centuries should give signs of improve- 
ment. We should be somewhat wiser than those "one before. 



101 

A celebrated German writer has said that nothing tends more 
to bring confusion and death into arts and morals, than when 
men blindly transfer the experience of one age to another. 
Let it be our aim to wisely copy and incorporate into this 
age the wisdom and patriotism which clusters around the 
deeds and lives of those venerated ancestors whom we have 
gathered together to honor. Let their example urge us on- 
ward to duty. Soon shall we stand in their places. Life is 
but a span. The sands of two hundred years will soon have 
run out; and others will meet, perhaps, to record upon the 
book of time, a history of our deeds. What report shall we 
transmit to them ? It rests with us to answer this important 
question. A new day has dawned upon us. Science and 
art, philosophy and experience, have all lent their aid to place 
us in a position such as the world has never before realized. 
Improvement and progress invite us. Let us heed their wel- 
come voices, resolved to labor and battle for the right and 
the true. Then shall those who come after us lake cour- 
age, and emulate in their lives the virtues transmitted by their 
fathers. 

Though not belonging by profession to the class of citizens 
which I would now respectfully notice, yet having a deep 
sense of their worth and importance to our town, permit me, 
Mr. President, to offer as a sentiment — 

The Mechanics of Maiden. Carpenters of square dealing ; 
Masons of well plumbed reputations; Painters whose most 
conspicuous color is true Mue ; Cabinet Makers with well 
spread tables; Blacksmiths of iron stability ; Tin Platers of 
shining stock in character as in trade ; Pewterers of not a 
little silver in their composition ; Silversmiths as good as 
gold ; Last Makers of no questionable shape ; Carriage 
Makers whose wheels can keep the road ; Shoemakers of 
whole soles ; and Dyers second to none among the good livers 
of our people. May they continue to honor the arts as we 
trust prosperity will honor them. 

The following was the eleventh regular toast : 

The Ladies of America. The stars of our domestic hori- 
zon, which shine the brightest when the night of adversity 
is upon us. 

The Rev. Mr. Hague, of Roxbury, was called to respond, 



102 

and he made a beautiful response, concluding with the fol- 
lowing sentiment : 

Honor to the Mothers of America. 

The following was the twelfth regular toast : 

The Free Schools of New England. Our fathers' rich 
legacy to us, and the bow of promise to our children ; the 
tower of strength against the inroads of tyranny and oppres- 
sion ; may all our sister States imitate the example of Massa- 
chusetts, and see that the fortress is well Manned. 

To this was read by Mr. Adams, a letter from Hon. 
Horace Mann, who had been invited, but who was unable 
to attend. 

The following voluntary was then given : 

The Cochituate Water Works. Noble evidences of the 
enterprise of New England's history. May this full fountain 
be the great and effectual Temperance Lecturer of our 
neighboring city, until the habits of all our people shall lead 
them to prefer the nectar of life to the waters of death. 

This called up Deacon Grant, who for a quarter of an 
hour kept the audience convulsed with laughter. He stated 
that he had come there with the Mayor, and was to stay 
with him until he went home, whether at 9 or 11 o'clock. 
He would see the Mayor safe home, and the Mayor must 
do the same by him. He also read the following relative to 
Maiden : 

" 1702, John Sprague was appointed School Master for 
the year ensuing, to learn children and youths to Read and 
wright, and to Refmetick according to his best skill : And he 
is to have <£10 — paid him by the town for hispainies. The 
school is to be kept for all the inhabetants of ye town and to 
be kept at four several places at four several times, one 
quarter of a year in a place." 

It was made the duty of the Tythingmen to' enforce the 
laws against licensing the use of spirituous liquors, and 
to see that no person was away from home after nine o'clock 
at night. 

He thought that an occasion like the present, and in a town 
so proverbially temperate as that of Maiden, they might 
venture to be out that evening at a later hour than nine. 

Mr. G. made a very happy allusion to a painting he had 
seen that day among the street decorations, that of a band of 



103 

" cold water " boys smashing in the head of a rum cask, and 
letting its contents go into ihe ground. He closed by toasting 
the "Cold Water Army." 

The following was the thirteenth and last regular toast : 

The Settlers of New England. Such of their sons as most 
venerate their virtues will be the most likely to imitate 
them. 

Among the volunteer toasts, were the following; the first 
by B. G. Hill, Esq. 

The Maiden Fire Department. May it ascend the ladder 
of prosperity, and hang its reputation for union, good order 
and good discipline, on the highest hook in the Temple of 
Fame. May it always be on the Alert, ready to Volun- 
teer when danger calls, and Endeavor never to be outdone 
while General Taylor is ready to take the field. 

The Town of Maiden. May she never want an orator or 
a poet on any festive occasion, while her green pastures 
remain, or the tide continues to flow into her havens. 

A vote of thanks was here returned to the orator and poet, 
and a copy of their productions was unanimously requested 
for publication. 

A toast called up the Rev. Sylvanus Cobb, Editor of the 
Christian Freeman, who made a few appropriate remarks, 
stating that the occasion was one of peculiar interest to him, 
as he was a citizen of Maiden, and the occupant of the old 
Parsonage one-twentieth part of Maiden's two hundred years, 
viz. : from 1828 to 1838 ; and during that ten years he culti- 
vated and harvested the field upon which the concourse of 
people had assembled. 

Bunker Hill. A remembrance of hard fighting for a great 
principle ; — may its monument now pointing upward to the 
Heavens, witness the time when the contests of blood shall 
be as odious to the nations, as oppression and tyrannies are 
now becoming among them. 

This was briefly and very appropriately responded to by 
Richard Frothingham, Jr. Esq., of Charlestown. 

The Farmer. The favorite son of mother Earth, to whom 
she yields her abundance for the use of the rest of the 
family. 

This was noticed by Mr. Buckminster, editor of the Plough- 
man, in a very sensible and well-timed reply. 



106 

At a meeting of the town, Monday, Nov. 2, 1848, said 
Committee presented the following Report to the town, which 
was read and accepted. 

REPORT ON BI-CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

The Committee appointed by the town at its annual meeting 
in March last, to take into consideration the propriety of a 
Bi-Centennial Celebration of the settlement of Maiden, in May, 
1849, would report : 

That after due consultation on the subject, they are all of 
the opinion that such a celebration should take place ; for 
which opinion they would very briefly state their reasons. 

We deem such a proceeding in accordance with a just and 
grateful remembrance of the past. We would not forget the 
beginning of that growth and prosperity now realized by our 
ancient town, — " that day of small things," when our ances- 
tors, who had left their homes in a land of civilization, came 
here to set up on the shores of this western wilderness, new 
and nobler homes than the old aristocracies of Europe had 
ever known. We would keep in remembrance their depri- 
vations, their diligence, firmness and endurance, their piety, 
their patriotism, their excellent Christian examples left us as 
the richest legacy they could bequeath to their children. 
We would take the occasion proposed, as a pausing time in 
the course of our history, when we may survey the past, and 
in the midst of its hallowed reminiscences, gain some new 
incitement to the more faithful discharge of our own duties 
as neighbors, and as fellow citizens of this our " goodly 
heritage." 

Duty to the present time, we think, demands this notice of 
the past. Though two hundred years have gone since the 
settlement of the town, Maiden is yet in its infancy; a long 
period for infancy, indeed, yet brief, perhaps, in comparison 
with what its future life and increase may be. Disadvantages 
of situation have caused this tardiness in growth. These 
causes are now mostly removed. Our facilities for growth 
and prosperity are greatly increasing; and a new era in our 
history has already commenced. It is a period appropriate 
to a historical and social connection of the present with the 
past. 



107 

We owe it to the future to unite in the proposed celebration. 
It should be consummated, and " written for the generations 
to come." If we would have them remember and honor 
their fathers, let us show them our readiness to remember 
and honor ours. When another century shall have rolled 
away, we trust that there will be those occupying our places, 
who will desire to celebrate this same event we now have in 
mind. Let us, as we have the opportunity, supply them with 
such information as the past and present may have brought 
to our hands in relation to the history of Maiden ; giving them 
that assurance of our fidelity which we would desire them to 
give of their own, to succeeding generations. 

Your Committee are aware that the proposed celebration 
cannot be effected without some considerable service devoted 
to it. An Address on the occasion would be desirable, 
embodying the most important facts of the town's past his- 
tory ; facts which must be gleaned from various sources by 
some person or persons especially attentive to this object. A 
Poem on the same occasion might, also, be deemed appro- 
priate. Vestiges of olden time might be collected for exhi- 
bition ; and a festival held such as would be every way cred- 
itable to ourselves, and to those who may unite with us from 
abroad in the celebration. We consider it expedient to refer 
these and all other matters pertaining to the occasion, to a 
Committee of Arrangements, consisting of at least twenty- 
five of our citizens, to be chosen from the different sections 
of the town. 

Respectfully submitted, 

J. G. Adams, 

A. W. M'Clure, ^ 

Gilbert Haven, 

Voted, That this Committee retire, and nominate a Com- 
mittee., to consist of twenty-five persons from different sections 
of the town; and that the money appropriations be left for 
the decision of some future meeting. 

The following persons were reported and chosen as the 
Committee of Arrangements, viz. : Uriah Chamberlain, 
Gilbert Haven, B. G. Hill, A. W. M'Clure, Wm. H. Rich- 
ardson, Jr., Thomas Wait, Jr., C. B. Smith, J. G. Adams, 
Charles Lewis, George P. Cox, Thomas Sargent, James 
Eaton, Augustus L. Barrett, George Winslow, William 



"1 



104 

By O. H. P. Green. The next Centennial Anniversary. 
May those who assemble on that occasion, have as much 
reason to rejoice in the deeds of their ancestors, as we have 
to rejoice in the deeds of ours. 

The Brigade Band. Led by the Kendalls, their fame will 
live while music has a name. 

This sentiment called out some inimitable and enchanting 
strains from those professors of the science of sweet sounds. 

Very brief addresses were also m.ide, and sentiments pro- 
posed, by other gentlemen present. 

Letters were received by the Chairman of the Committee 
of Arrangements from Gov. Briggs, Hon. Edward Everett, 
lion. R. C. Winthrop, Hon. J. G. Palfrey, Jared Sparks, Esq., 
Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Rev. E. Gannett, D. D., bearing 
the congratulations of the writers, and the expressions of their 
regret that other engagements prevented their compliance 
with the invitations given them to be present on this occasion. 

Addresses were expected from Rev. Messrs. Whiltemore 
and Thacher, of Cambridge, Upham of Salem, and others 
present, connected, by their ancestry, with the town ; but the 
hour of dining was so late, and sunset came so soon, after 
entering with such interest into the dinner festivities, that the 
exercises in the Pavillion were cut off by the sudden and 
thundering voice of the sunset gun. It was then time for the 
citizens to disperse, and prepare for the evening illuminations. 

In the evening there was a brilliant display of fire-works; 
most of the houses were illuminated, and the Brigade and 
Salem bands discoursed most eloquent music. A great num- 
ber of spectators arrived on the cars from Boston and other 
places, and the gathering was nearly as great at night, as it 
was during the day. 

The general illumination of the village, festoons of lan- 
terns crossing the streets, and gleaming like luminous fruit, 
among the budding elms, the huge bonfire blazing from a 
float upon the fair pond in the centre of the village, the fire- 
works flashing over the heavens, and the air swelling with the 
sweet waves of music, made a scene as marvellously beautiful 
as any that is fabled of fairy-land. 

The decorations and inscriptions at the houses of the citi- 
zens, were highly appropriate and beautiful. Among these 
were a pyramidal gateway, thickly evergreened, at Mr. 



105 

Nathaniel Tufts', on Main Street ; a very richly painted arch 
in front of the residence of Uriah Chamberlain, Esq., on 
Pleasant Street, with the inscription, " Malden, May 23, 
1649," " Bi-Cenlennial Celebration, 1849," and in front of 
the residence of Rev. A. W. M'Clure, and Mr. G. P. Cox, 
a transparency of the first seal of the Massachusetts Colony, 
representing an Indian with a label issuing from his mouth, 
bearing the appropriate motto, " Come over and help us." 

The whole occasion afforded, throughout, universal satis- 
faction and delight. All were in good social spirits, the 
great majority on the healthful stimulus of cold water. But 
few, if any instances of intoxication were known, excepting 
a very few, which would have happened whether the day 
had been celebrated or not ; and no serious accident marred 
the pleasures of the day. The numerous strangers present, 
no less than the excited population, pronounced it, with one 
voice, a festival unsurpassed and long to be remembered. 
At eleven in the evening, an extra train of cars departed for 
Boston, with the bands and many other visiters, and the fes- 
tivities were soon afterwards concluded. 



RECORDS 

OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE TOWN, AND OF THE 
COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS. 

At a meeting of the inhabitants of Maiden, on Monday, 
March 3, 1848, the following, being the 10th article in the 
Warrant for said meeting, was acted upon, viz. : 

To see if the town will take measures during the coming 
year, for a Bi-Centennial celebration in 1849, as the month 
of May in that year will complete two hundred years since 
the town was incorporated. 

It was voted that Rev. J. G. Adams, Rev. A. W. M'Clure 
and Gilbert Haven, Esq., be a committee to consider and 
report upon this subject at a future meeting. 



108 

Pierce, William Baldwin, Daniel Holmes, Henry Van Voorhis, 
William M. Fernald, Freeman Upham, Artemas Barrett, 
J. M'Leish, Caleb Howard, George Emerson.^ 

At a meeting of the town on Monday, January 1st, 1849, 
after hearing a report of the Committee of Arrangements, 

Voted, That the expenses of the Bi-Centennial Celebration 
be defrayed by subscription, and that the Committee of 
Arrangements be a Committee to circulate papers for contri- 
bution toward the expenses of said Celebration. 



MEETINGS OP THE COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS. 

Malden, Nov. 9th, 1843. 

The Committee appointed by the town for the purpose of 
making necessary arrangements for the contemplated Bi- 
Centennial Celebration, met for the first time at the house 
of Wm. H. Richardson, Jr. Sixteen of the twenty-five of 
the Committee being present, the meeting was called to order 
by Rev. J. G. Adams. 

Then proceeded to organize. Rev. J. G. Adams was 
unanimously chosen Chairman. For Secretary, William H. 
Richardson, Jr. 

Voted, That James D. Green, Esq., be invited to deliver 
the Oration. 

Voted, That an invitation be extended to Gilbert Haven, 
Jr., to deliver a Poem on the same occasion. 

Voted, That a Committee of five be appointed to hold a 
correspondence with the above named gentlemen, and ascer- 
tain if they will accept the invitations. 

Rev. A. W. M'Clure, Rev. John G. Adams, A. L. Barrett, 
Rev. C. B. Smith, and Charles Lewis, Esq., were appointed. 

Voted, That a Committee of six be chosen to report a 
Program of the Exercises, etc., for the occasion. 

G. Haven and U. Chamberlain, Esq's., Daniel Holmes, 
James Eaton, Rev. John M'Leish, and Capt. Wm. Peirce, 
were appointed that committee. 

* It is proper to state in this connection, that two of this Committee, 
viz. : Rev. Mr. M'Leish and William Baldwin, originally chosen by the 
town, left their homes in New England, for California, in March. Mr. 
Caleb Howard declined acting as one of the Committee. 



109 

Voted, To appoint a Committee of six on Music. 

B. G. Hill, Esq., Dea. Thomas Wait, Jr., W. H. Richard- 
son, Jr., George P. Cox, and Dea. Thomas Sargent, were 
chosen. 

Voted to adjourn. 

Malden, Nov. 23d, 1849. 

Met pursuant to adjournment. The Committee on Corres- 
pondence reported that Mr. Green had accepted the invitation 
to deliver the Oration. Report accepted. 

The Committee on program reported an Order of Exercises 
which was accepted, subject to such alterations as may here- 
after be deemed proper. 

Voted, That the expenses of the dinner be defrayed by 
tickets. 

Adjourned to two weeks from this evening. 

Malden, Dec. 7th, 1849. 

The Committee met according to adjournment. 

Voted, That a Committee of three be appointed to draft a 
Report in part, of the progress of this Committee, to be pre- 
sented at the next Town Meeting. This Report to be laid 
before this Committee for approval at the next meeting. 

W. H. Richardson, Jr., U. Chamberlain, Thomas Wait, Jr. 
were chosen. 

Committee on Correspondence reported that G. Haven, Jr., 
had accepted the invitation to deliver the Poem. 

Voted, To accept the report. 

Committee on a spot for celebration, reported that the Bell- 
Rock Pasture could be obtained. 

Voted, To adjourn to the Thursday evening previous to the 
next Town Meeting. 

Malden, Dec. 21st, 1849. 

The Committee met pursuant to adjournment. The Report 
on the progress of the Committee was read and adopted. 

Voted, That it be laid before the town at the meeting on 
Monday next. 

It was voted to adjourn. 

Malden, January 1, 1849. 
The Committee met according to adjournment, at the house 
of Rev. J. G. Adams. On motion of Rev. Mr. Smith, it was 
voted to appoint a Committee of one to canvass the town, in 



110 

order to ascertain how large a sum can be obtained for the 
contingent expenses of the Celebration. 

Voted, That B. G. Hill, Esq. be invited to perform that 
duty at his earliest convenience ; said subscriptions to be paid 
on, or previous to, the 1st of April. Dea. Thomas Wait was 
appointed Treasurer. 

Adjourned, to meet at the house of the Rev. C. B. Smith, 
on February 8th. 

Malden, Feb. 8th, 1849. 

Met according to adjournment. Committee appointed to 
solicit subscriptions, reported that there is already subscribed 
$250. Many of the inhabitants were absent when called on 
by the Committee. A very liberal spirit seemed to prevail, 
and the report was satisfactory. Adjourned. 

Malden, March 22d, 1849. 

The Committee met according to adjournment. The 
Committee on collecting subscriptions reported that the sum 
subscribed now amounts to $411. 

Voted, That the Chairman of the several Committees be 
requested to make a definite Report at the next meeting. 

Voted, That the day of the Celebration be Wednesday, 
May 23d, 1849. 

Voted, To adjourn to meet at the house of the Chairman on 
the evening of the third Thursday in April. 

Malden, April 19th, 1849. 

The Committee met pursuant to adjournment, at the house 
of Rev. J. G. Adams ; — fourteen members present at the 
opening of the meeting. Heard reports from the Committee 
on Dinner and Music. 

Voted, That we employ the Brigade Band, with reed 
music, to be retained in the evening if pleasant. 

Appointed a Committee on Street Decorations, consisting 
of A. L. Barrett, Capt. George Winslow, George P. Cox, W. 
H. Richardson, Jr., and James Eaton. 

Voted, To refer the subject of dinner to Committee on 
Program. 

Voted, That the Secretary be requested to extend an invi- 
tation to the Fire Department to join the procession. 

Voted, That the Committee on Correspondence be a Com- 



Ill 

mittee on Invitations, and that they be authorized to invite 
such persons as they may deem proper. 

Voted, That the price of Dinner Tickets be put at 75 cts. 

Voted, That a Committee of two from each District be 
appointed to ascertain how many tickets can be disposed of 
in the several Districts, and report at the next regular 
meeting. 

Centre District, Rev. Mr. Smith and Rev. Mr. Adams. South 
West District, Captains George Winslow and Wm. Peirce. 
South District, Daniel Holmes and Zerah Estes. East Dis- 
trict, Elias Ayers. North District, George Emerson, Esq., 
Artemas Barrett, Rev. S. Pratt. 

Voted, That the Committee on Correspondence give such 
notice of the Celebration through the public prints as they 
may deem necessary. 

Appointed a Committee to prepare toasts and sentiments, 
viz. : Rev. A. W. M'Clure, Rev. J. G. Adams, William H. 
Richardson, Jr., Rev. C. B. Smith, James Eaton, and B. G. 
Hill, Esq. 

Voted, To extend an invitation to Middlesex Lodge of 
Odd Fellows to join in the Celebration. 

Voted, That the Committee on sale of Tickets report pro- 
gress at the next meeting. Adjourned. 

Malden, April 26, 1849. 

Met at the house of the Secretary. 

Voted, On motion of Rev. C. B. Smith, to proceed to the 
choice of the officers of the day ; said officers to be chosen 
by ballot. 

Voted, That Gilbert Haven, Esq., be President of the Day. 

Voted, That Wm. H. Richardson, James Eaton, Daniel 
Holmes, and George Winslow, be Vice Presidents ; — That 
Rev. A. W. M'Clure be Chaplain ; and Augustus L. Barrett 
Chief Marshal of the day. 

After the consideration of some other questions in reference 
to the celebration, adjourned. 

Malden, May 3d, 1849. 

The Committee met agreeable to adjournment, at the house 
of Dea. Thomas Wait. Heard reports from the Committees 
on Dinner Tickets. 

Committee on Invitations reported that they had invited 



112 

forty guests, and should probably extend the number to fifty. 
Report accepted. 

Voted, That the Selectmen be desired to secure the ser- 
vices of a sufficient number of Police, to maintain order on 
the day of the Celebration. 

Voted, That the President of the Day attend to that duty. 

Voted, That three Vice Presidents be added to the number 
already chosen, viz. : C. Lewis, Esq., George Emerson, Esq. 
and J. Webster, Esq. 

Voted, That the citizens meet at 9 o'clock, A. M., on the 
morning of the Celebration, at the several places designated 
by the Chief Marshal. 

Committee on Military reported that they had extended an 
invitation to Washington Light Infantry, of Boston, to do 
escort duty on that day, and that they had accepted the invi- 
tation. 

Voted to adjourn. 

Malden, May 15th, 1849. 

Committee met at the house of James Eaton. The Com- 
mittee on Police reported the names of twelve persons to 
serve on that day. Report accepted. 

Voted, That the Selectmen be requested to instruct the 
Police to prevent the sale of all intoxicating drinks on the day 
of the Celebration. 

Voted, That Dea. William Oliver be invited to line out a 
Hymn selected for the occasion, according to ancient custom. 

Voted, To adjourn to Thursday evening, 17th inst., at the 
house of Charles Lewis, Esq. 

Malden, May 17th, 1849. 

Committee met according to adjournment. Voted that the 
place of meeting for Ladies be at the Orthodox church. 

Voted, That the Committee on Decorations be authorized 
to draw seventy-five dollars to procure flags, streamers, &c, 
for the streets. 

Voted, That 2000 copies of Program of Exercises be 
printed. 

Voted, That a Financial Committee be chosen to report at 
the next meeting. 

U. Chamberlain and B. G. Hill, Esq's., and Dea. Thomas 
Wait, were chosen. 

Adjourned to Saturday evening, 19th, at the house of A. 
L. Barrett 



113 

Malden, May 19th, 1849. 

Committee met at the house of A. L. Barrett. 

Voted, That Committee on Dinner provide a collation for 
the Military in the morning. 

Voted, That the Selectmen be requested to increase the 
number of Police to twenty. 

Voted, That all carts for the sale of refreshments, and all 
" Shows," be excluded from " Bell-Rock Pasture " on that 
day. 

Adjourned to meet at the house of Dea. Thomas Sargent, 
on Monday evening, at six o'clock. 

Malden, May 21st, 1849. 

Committee met at house of Dea. Thomas Sargent. 

Voted, That the artillerists from Charlestown, be pro- 
provided with tickets for the Dinner. 

Voted, That the Committee on Invitations be a Committee 
of Reception. 

Voted, To adjourn to Tuesday evening, 22d, at house of 
Rev. C. B. Smith. 

Malden, May 22d, 1849. 

Committee met, it being the evening previous to the Cele- 
bration, at the house of Rev. C. B. Smith. Heard reports of 
Committees. 

Voted, That a Committee of three be appointed to meet at 
the Pavilion at 7 o'clock, A. M., to see that every thing is in 
complete order. 

Then voted to adjourn to Thursday evening, 24th, at the 
house of the Chairman. 

Malden, May 24th, 1849. 

Met at the house of the Chairman. 

Voted, That the Committee chosen to superintend the 
erection of the Pavilion, be a Committee to procure the taking 
down of the same. 

Voted, That the Committee on Dinner settle with Mr. 
Smith, by an order on the Treasurer for the amount of 
Tickets sold, after deducting all allowances agreed upon. 

Voted, That a Committee of three be chosen to solicit 
copies of the Oration and Poem for publication. 

Rev. A. W. M'Clure, W. H. Richardson, Jr., and Rev 
C. Billings Smith, were chosen. 

Voted, That all unsettled bills be presented at the next 
meeting for adjustment. 



114 

Voted, That the Committee on Pavilion be authorized to 
make such disposition of the materials as they may deem best. 

Voted, That Moses Sawyer be employed to collect the 
balance due to the general fund. 

Adjourned to Saturday evening, June 2d, at the house of 
Uriah Chamberlain, Esq. 

Malden, June 2d, 1849. 

Met pursuant to adjournment, at the house of U. Chamber- 
lain, Esq. Minutes of last meeting were read and approved. 
The report of the Treasurer was then read and accepted. 

Voted, That all bills that have been presented and 
approved, be paid by the Treasurer. 

Adjourned to meet at the house of the Secretary, on Fri- 
day evening, June 8th. 

Malden, June 8th, 1849. 

Committee met agreeable to adjournment, at the house of 
the Secretary. Minutes read and approved. Committee on 
Pavilion reported that upon investigation, they deemed it best 
to take the lumber and dispose of the same at auction. The 
amount of sales was $480. Report thus far accepted. Com- 
mittee have further time. Committee on Dinner reported 
that they had effected a settlement with Mr. Smith, the 
caterer, by the payment of $820. 

Voted, That we accept an invitation of Mr. Smith to an 
entertainment to be provided by him, tendered as a custom- 
ary act of courtesy to the Committee, at such time and 
place as we may designate. 

Voted, That the Committee on Dinner be a Committee 
to inform Mr. Smith of our acceptance ; — and that the en- 
tertainment take place on Thursday evening next, at the 
house of the Secretary. 

Voted, That Rev. Messrs. Pratt, Denison, Talbot, Merrill, 
and Parsons, and Mr. Joshua Webster, be invited upon that 
occasion. 

Voted, That a Card of Invitation be sent to the invited 
guests. 

Voted, That a Committee of three be raised to superintend 
the preparation of a Bi-Centennial Book ; and that Rev. 
A. W. M'Clure, Rev. J. G. Adams, and W. II. Richardson, 
Jr., be said Committee. 

Then adjourned to Thursday evening, June 1 5th, at the house 
of the Secretary. \V. H. Richardson, Secretary. 



115 

TREASURER'S REPORT. 
THOS. WAIT, Jr., in acc't with BICENTENNIAL COMMIT TEE 

Dr. to cash received as follows, viz: 

By sale of 1127 Tickets, at 75c, - $845 25 
" cash by the hand of G. Haven, Esq., the proceeds 

of sale of Pavilion, 173 76 

" amount received on subscription, - - - 458 25 

" A. L. Barrett, Chief Marshal, - - - - 43 00 

$1520 26 

Cr. for bills paid viz : 

Boston Post advertising, 2 00 

Boston Atlas " ...... 2 50 

B. G. Hill, services, 5 00 

Damrell & Moore, printing, 9 00 

Geo. W. Bazin, " - - 22 25 

Maine Railroad tickets, - - - - - 14 47 

Brigade Band, 128 00 

Rev. J. G. Adams, cash paid, .... i 20 

Thos. Wait, Jr., nails, spikes, &c., - 12 67 

Henry Flanders & Co., 4 38 

S. B. French, trimmings, 1 38 

Amos Butler, services, 3 00 

Avery White, " 5 00 

Joseph Wilkinson, do, 3 50 

Lemuel Nichols, do, 1 25 

N. W. Holden, Caterer, ... 57 

Daniel Holmes, labor, - - • - - - 2 17 

Richard Yeaton, do, 2 50 

J. & J. Clark, building Pavilion, - 68 50 

Charles Buck, lumber, 259 04 

Sally Upham, do 3 00 

J. B. Smith, Caterer, 820 00 

Wm. H. Eaton, horse hire, 20 37 

J. P. Lord, mm 4 25 

D. W. & J. H. Barnes, trimmings, - - - 10 84 

G. Haven, Jr., travelling expenses, - - - 20 00 

James Eaton, cash paid, 3 25 

Chas. 0. Eaton, 4 00 

Samuel S. Speed, services, 1 00 

M. W. Sawyer, '' 3 50 

Joseph S. Reed, Marshal's equipments, - - 30 25 

A. W. Pollard, " " - 24 50 

Whitton, Train & Co., ensigns and pendants, - 24 67 

A. L. Barrett, cash paid, 2 25 



$1520 26 
Respectfully Submitted, 

THOMAS WAIT, Jr., Treasurer. 

Examined and approved : Uriah Chamberlain, 

B. G. Hill. 



116 



COMMITTEE'S EVENING FESTIVAL. 

By referring to the Records of the Committee of Arrange- 
ments, it will be seen that, on settlement with Mr. Smith, 
who provided the dinner on the day of celebration, he took 
occasion to invite the Committee, with such of their friends 
as they might ask, to the number of fifty, to an evening 
entertainmenl, to be provided by him at such time and place 
as the Committee might designate. This meeting was accord- 
ingly held on Thursday evening, June 14th, at the mansion 
house of the late William Barrett, Esq., and now belonging 
to his heirs. After exchanging social greetings, and living 
over in very agreeable conversation some of the many enjoy- 
ments of the Bi-Centennial occasion, the company proceeded 
to partake of the repast which their generous provider had 
set for them. Its merits were well appreciated. And after 
the repast, the meeting was called to order by the Chairman, 
and brief addresses were made, chiefly in reference to the 
day of which this evening's entertainment seemed but an 
echo, by Messrs. Haven, Eaton, Richardson, M'Clure, and 
others. A poem, hastily written, in reference to the occa- 
sion, was then read by the Chairman. In accordance with 
the wishes of those who heard it, it is here preserved. 



A BI-CENTENNIAL ECHO FOR THIS EVENING. 
HUMBLY INSCRIBED TO THE COMMITTEE OF ARRANGEMENTS. 

Spirits of Lards, and all the powers of song 

From Homer's time, and Milton's, down along 

To these new days, when on New England ground, 

The spinning-tops of myriad bards go round ; 

And poet-antics at all times are played, 

Despite all laws that critics ever made ; 

Lend me your inspiration, while I bring 

This humble tributary offering 

To Patriotism, and Glory, and Renown, 

And so forth j all of famous Maiden town, 



117 

That noted place of places in our nation, 
Immortalized in recent celebration. 
Of that event I sing ; and in the ending, 
Would make allusion to the one now pending ! 
The day, — that day, — of days the one and all 
That ever on our townsmen made the call 
To celebrate the time when Charlestown sent 
Her men to Mystic north-side, with intent 
To give them settlement and homestead here, 
As on old record books these facts appear : — 
Who hath not now this day in recollection ? 
What heart but brightens in its grand reflection ? 
From morning sunlight to that night's oblation 
Of spermy splendor, the illumination ! 

Anxious, indeed, the watchings for that day, 

'Mid eastern winds and clouds of dullest grey 

Preceding it; — and on the night before, 

What aspect doubtful all the faces wore 

Of this oft-tried Committee, though they say 

They had strong faith and hope in " that fair day." 

How dubious was the prospect, ere its dawn, 

When down the rains poured, as though corks were drawn 

From all sky-bottles ! How with throbbing head, 

And anxious heart, lay not a few in bed, 

Deeming the nightmare bliss, and day a sorrow, 

If such a day were now their waited morrow ! 

But thanks ! the showers subside ; the clouds are breaking : 

Light from the East, blue from the West, are waking ! 

The bells are pealed, the day is ushered in 

'Mid flags, and streamers, and the cannon's din ! 

Greetings there are of liveliest kind, and joys ; 

The boys are men, the men efficient boys; — 

Firemen, Odd Fellows, Military, come ; 

Plumes nod, fifes scream; the "spirit stirring drum," 

And band's full harmony, and shoutings free, 

Play their true parts in this centennial glee. 

From all the region round the hosts are here, 

Good volunteers, invited guests appear; 

The faithful teacher "just let loose from school," 

High magistrates in cities who bear rule; 



118 

The reverend clergy, counsellors profound, 

Reporters of the press for ten miles round ; 

Boston and Charlestown chiefs the platform fill, 

Our Armstrong, and New Hampshire's Isaac Hill, 

Our Congress King, and various dignitaries, 

Farmers, mechanics, traders, secretaries. 

Around old "Bell Rock" drawn, the waiting throng 

Send up their invocation and their song, 

List as our Green in oratoric power 

Improves his gift through one full measured hour. 

Then came the youthful poet of the day, 

In goodly word, though this his first essay ; — 

Clouds rose for showering while his accents rung, 

And Maiden's rising glories fired his tongue; 

Clouds, that without leave-asking or restriction, 

Forced us to hasten to the benediction ; 

Frighted the ladies towards our big pavilion, 

And drove quite wild full many a staid civilian. 

Of this peculiar scene I will not sing, 

Lest some wild note should strike my gentle string. 

The dinner eaten ; speeches made ; again 
Our music wakes its highest, purest strain ! 
And there, brief hours like winged minutes flew, 
Till the great multitude, " as good as new," 
When the big sun-set gun was fired, withdrew, 
Each one his way, — most to their habitations, 
To "see to children," and — the illuminations. 

And such a night old Maiden never knew ; 
Dark stilly clouds around, the evening drew; 
The lamps sent forth their rays from many a pane 
That ne'er may shed centennial light again ; 
From cupola, and arch, and post, and tree, 
And staff 1 , and roof, wherever eye could see, 
Shone these bright fires ; and in this blaze of glory 
Ended that day now amply famed in story. 

What said I ? With that thought another's blended ; 
That day did not quite end, — has not quite ended ; 
Its echo lingers with us ; and the reason 
For this glad lingering may now be in season. 



119 

Among the observant men of that great day, 

We justly reckon, as we freely say, 

Onr dinner-master, Smith, whose heart was moved, 

As subsequent events have clearly proved, 

To sympathize in that day's anxious care 

Which our Committee-men were pleased to bear. 

Fearing that in their watching, waiting mood 

At that great table for the public good, 

They had lost appetite ; and satisfied 

"When the great Dinner Bill was ratified 

'Tween them and him ; — what does this caterer do, 

But most politely ask us to renew 

Our public nibbling at his viands rare ; 

The time and place such as we might declare. 

Vexed is the world with questions great and small ; 

From California to the Chinese Wall ; 

On life, its object, matter, mind and motion, 

Land-telegraphs, and steamers on the ocean, 

Methods of doctoring, — wet, dry, cold, warm, — 

Exhilarating gas and chloroform, 

Law, politics, theology, abstractions 

Splitting great parties into little factions, 

Awaking jealousy, and spleen, and sputter, 

For conscience, general good, and — bread and butter. 

The world is filled, we say, with this confusion, 

And most committees suffer from intrusion 

Of some vexed questions, setting them agog, 

And making business move at slowest jog. 

This wise Committee had before them pending 

At times some questions not quite sure of ending 

At one brief sitting ; which debate invited ; 

And by that only could be fairly righted. 

But, as the poet would be true ! when met 

This grave Committee on the evening set 

For their adjournment, and the question came 

As just now stated, in the well known name 

Of Smith the Dinner Master ; since old Time 

Gave his first fact in sober prose or rhyme, 

Never was known in a Committee-dealing, 

On any point, more unity of feeling ! 



120 



No discord breath 'mid that small audience stirred, 

No jangling thoughts expressed, no cool hard word; 

Each member truly felt himself the man, 

And the Committee a distinguished clan. 

Those present at that sitting, how shall I 

Find words their manly mein to justify ? 

Your humble Chairman of old Adam's race. 

And Secretary Richardson, whose place 

The Boston advertisements long since knew, 

Blackstone and Hanover, one hundred two ; 

The reverend clergymen, M 'Clure and Smith, 

Neither of them a phantom or a myth 

In this or any cause involving labor ; 

The old Town Clerk, our courteous friend and neighbor, 

That great day's President;* the Waits, true hearted, 

Born of good Maiden stock of days departed ; 

Postmaster Goodwin Hill, of ancient order, 

Who for subscriptions tramped each Maiden border ; 

Window, of Pilgrim name and sea-adventure ; 

Our silver-headed lawyer, of the centre ; t 

Eaton, our lively Toast-master, who stood 

Firm at his post in merriest, happiest mood, 

Until cut short in midst of joke and pun, 

By crack and thunder of that sun-set gun ; 

Friend William Pierce, a worthy Selectman ; 

And Holmes, his neighbor, safe to work or plan : 

Sargent and Cox, our choristers, these all 

Respond instanter to that generous call, 

And pledge their word that every absentee 

Of this brave Board on hand that night would be; — 

Tall father Chamberlain, of honored name ; 

Fernald, of East; and Van, of Southern fame; 

Barrett, of North ; with our Chief Marshal true ; f. 

Upham and Emerson, from Melrose, too ; 

All, all these servants of the public, then 

Were pledged in this good cause to quit themselves like men. 

Hence our free, kindly gathering at this hour, 
Where fair smiles greet us, and no dull clouds lower; 
Here meet we others of this noted town, 
Sharers in all this history and renown ; 

*G. Haven, Esq. f C, Lowis, Faq. J A. L. Barrett, E*q. 



121 

Here, where the East wind of sad plaint so long, 
Is changed to softest, sweetest, Southard song. 

If by sad chance, or misinterpretation, 

Any have slighted this our invitation, 

Sad the reflection 'twill not be repeated 

Till next centennial doings are completed. 

And when that time shall come, may some tall poet, 

Knowing the town as this one may not know it, 

Amid the future's better scenes and actors, 

Finding good Smiths among its benefactors, 

Stand on this ground where stood the Barrett mansion, 

And to his genius giving free expansion, 

Ring out such notes of Maiden fame and story, 

As shall wake thousand echoes to its glory ! 



After the reading of the " Echo," Rev. Mr. M'CIure took 
occasion to remark, that as the entertainment to which they 
had just listened had come upon him quite unexpectedly, he 
felt hardly in a mood to respond at any length thereto ; but 
would simply say, that whereas he and most others present 
had always been familiar with this old couplet in the New 
England Primer, 

In Adam's fall 
We sinned all ; 

can it not be that this evening we issue another that shall 
read, 

May Adams' verse 
Remove the curse ? 

After a brief and very appropriate address of Mr. Smith 
in answer to a sentiment offered in reference to him, the 
residue of the evening, until eleven, was passed in social 
converse, and the enjoyment of some rare vocal and instru- 
mental music by the Southard quartette, and Mr. J. F. Hall, 
of Boston. 



122 



HISTORICAL ITEMS. 



Under this head we propose to introduce a variety of mat- 
ters which are not already anticipated in the Oration. No 
records of the town are extant, excepting those relating to 
deaths and marriages, of earlier date than 1678. 

It appears by reference to Frothingham's History of 
Charlestown that there were settlers within the bounds of 
Maiden as early, at least, as 1640, in which year a mill was 
erected in the town by Thomas Coytemore, brother-in-law of 
Gov. John Winthrop. 

Middlesex Registry of Deeds, Lib. 11, pp. 82, 83, contains 
a record of a defaced agreement, (and attestation thereto,) 
between the Commissioners of Charlestown and Mystic side, 
for dividing the unimpropriated common lands, in which oc- 
. curs the following clause : "In consideration, the brethren 
on Mystic side are, by the providence of God, shortly to go 
into a church estate by themselves, and for the more comforta- 
ble proceeding and carrying on of that work of Christ among 
them." This instrument was entered by Samuel Phipps, 
January 4th, 1691-2, and purports to have been drawn by au- 
thority of a certain writing bearing date March 26, 1649. 
From this it appears that the church at that time was not 
organized, but undoubtedly was a few weeks after. 

Middlesex County Court Records, Cambridge, April 4, 
1654, contains the following entry : " Rowland Layhorne's 
wife being presented to this Court by the Grand Jury for 
making disturbance on the Lord's Day, in the publique assem- 
bly at Maiden, and washing cloathes on the Lord's Day, she 
freely acknowledged and confessed her sin and fault in the 
Court, and her husband Rowland Layhorne, consented to allow 
the four witnesses two shillings per diem." 

Middlesex Registry of Deeds, Lib. 2, p. 43, contains the 
following entry: "Know all men by these presents, that 
the inhabitants of the town of Maulden, have given and 



123 

granted to the use of the present preaching elder and his 
next successor, and so from time to time to his successors, 
foure acres of ground purchased of James Green for that end, 
and the house built thereuppon at the charge of all the 
inhabitants by a town vote proportionably made, the22d of 
the 10th month, 1651. 

" Witness the hand of these underwritten in the name of 
the inhabitants, 6th month, '55 : also a vote in '52. 
Jno Upham, ~) 

Wm Brackenbury, ! « , . 
Wm Sargeant, Thomas Call, j 

Joseph Hills, Jno Wayte, j 

" Entered and recorded the 29th of the 10th, 1657, as 
attest, Thomas Danforth, Recorder." 

From this it appears that the parsonage was purchased dur- 
ing the ministry of Rev. Marmaduke Mathews, though not 
recorded until after the settlement of Mr. Wigglesworth. In 
the same year of the above entry, Mr. Wigglesworth pur- 
chased 6£ acres in Maiden of Paul Wilson, for i£13. 

We here present a copy of the Contract for the erection 
of the first Meeting-house in Maiden, a document which has 
never before been printed. 

" Articles of agreement made and concluded ye 11th day 
of ye ninth mo., 1658, betweene Job Lane of Maiden on the 
one partie, carpenter, and William Brakenbury, Lieut. John 
Wayte, Ensigne J. Sprague, and Thomas Green, Senior, 
Selectmen of Maiden, on the behalf of the towne on the 
other partie, as followeth : 

" Imprimis : The said Job Lane doth hereby covenant, 
promiss and agree to build, erect and finish upp a good 
strong, Artificial meeting House, of Thirty-three foot Square, 
sixteen foot stud between joints, with dores, windows, pull- 
pitt, seats, and all other things whatsoever in all respects be- 
longing thereto as hereafter is expressed. 

" 1. That all the sells, girts, mayne posts, plates, Beames 
and all other principal Timbers shall be of good and sound 
white or Black oake. 

"2. That all the walls be made upp on the outside with 
good clapboards, well dressed lapped and nayled. And the 
Inside to be lathed all over and well struck with clay, and 



124 

uppon it with lime and hard up to the wall plate, and also 
the beame fellings as need shalbe. 

" 3. The roofe to be covered with boards and short shing- 
lings with a territt on the topp about six foot squar, to hang the 
bell in with rayles about it : the floor to be made tite with 
planks. 

" 4. The bell to be fitted upp in all respects and Hanged 
therein fitt for use. 

" 5. Thre dores in such places as the sayd Selectmen shal 
direct, viz : east, west and south. 

" 6. Six windows below the girt on thre sids, namely : 
east, west and south ; to contayne sixteen foot of glass in a 
window, with Leaves, and two windows on the south side 
above the girt on each side of the deske, to contayne six foot of 
glass A piece, and two windows under each plate on the east, 
west and north sides fitt [to] conteine eight foote of glass a 
peece. 

" 7. The pullpitt and cover to be of wainscott to conteync 
ffive or six persons. 

" 8. The deacon's seat allso of wainscott with door, and a 
table joyned to it to fall downe, for the Lord's Supper. 

" 9. The ffloer to be of strong Boards throughout and 
well nayled. 

" 10. The House to be fitted with seats throughout, made 
with good planks, with rayles on the topps, boards at the 
Backs, and timbers at the ends. 

" 11. The underpining to be of stone or bricks, and pointed 
with lyme on the outside. 

" 12. The Allyes to be one from the deacon's seat, through 
the middle of the house to the north end, and another cross 
the house ffrom east to west sides, and one before the dea- 
con's seat ; as is drawne on the back side of this paper. 

" 13. And the said Job to provide all boards, Timber, 
nayles, Iron work, glass, shingles, lime, hayre, laths, clap- 
bords, bolts, locks and all other things whatsoever needful 
and belonging to the finyshing of the said house and to rayse 
and finish it up in all respects before the tvventie of Septem- 
ber next ensuing, they allowing help to rayse it. 

" And the sd Selectmen for themselves on behalfe of the 
town in Consideracon of the said meeting house so finished, 
doe hereby covenant, promise and agre to pay unto the sd Job 
Lane or his Assigns the sume of one hundred and ffifRy 



125 

pounds in come, cord-wood and provisions, sound and mer- 
chantable att price currant and fatt catle, on valuacon by In- 
different men unless themselves agree the prices. 

" In manner following, that is to say, ffifftie pound befor 
ye first of ye second mo. next ensuing And fifftie pounds 
befor the first of ye last mo. which shall be in the year six- 
teen hundred 59 and other fiffty pounds before the first of 
ye second mo. which shall be in the year one thousand six 
hundred and sixtie. And it is further Agreed that when the 
sd house is finished, in case the sd Job shall find and judgeth 
to be worth ten pounds more, that it shall be referred to In- 
different workmen to determine unless the sayd Selectmen 
shall se just cause to pay the sd ten pounds without such val 
uacon. 

" In witness whereof the partys to these presents have In- 
terchangeably put their hands the day and year above writ- 
ten. 

William Brackenbury. 
John Sprague. 

Witness, Joh. Wayte. 

Joseph Hills : 
and Gershom hills." 



The ground flan here given is copied exactly from a 
drawing on the back of the Articles of Agreement. The 
elevation is drawn from the description given in the contract 
as the builder must have understood it ; reference being also 
had to the known style of constructing such buildings at that 
period. The windows were few and small, on account of 
the great expense of them, and were constructed with dia- 
mond panes in leaden sashes, according to the fashion of the 
times. The construction of the roof and turret answers to 
the description of what were called " tunnel churches " 
at that time, a specimen of which may still be seen at Hing- 
ham. This meeting-house stood near the Bell-Hock, on the 
western side of the road. 

At a subsequent period, the bell mentioned in the contract, 
was placed upon an elevated rock, termed Bell-Rock. In 
the year 1682 the town voted, " That Samuel Lewis is agreed 
withal to ring the bell, and to sweep the meeting-house, — 
for which he is to have £1. 13s in pay by the year." The 



12G 




SOUTH FRONT. 





I. 1 --'- -.■':■;-■■'■-< . . ... 




- ■ .' ■ ■'/:.■ ?■'/;„ ■■■- 


"; 

u 





































) 



12T 

same year the town ordered " That the meeting-house be 
repaired to keep out the weather and save the sills from rot- 
ting." By a town vote of March 14, 1692, " Corronal page 
hath liberty to build a pew." * The floor of the house was 
covered with slips ; and the privilege of building a square 
pew, given or sold to individuals of distinction, was a rem- 
nant of the privileges of the English aristocracy ; the pew 
reverting to the use of the town in case of the removal of 
the grantee. The inhabitants were usually seated by a com- 
mittee appointed by the town for that purpose, in an order 
corresponding to their share of the minister's rate, — age, deaf- 
ness and dignity bein taken into the account. This practice, 
termed " dignifying the seats," was repeated annually, males 
and females occupying different sides of the house. In 1702 
an order was passed, " For enlarging the meeting-house by 
cutting it in two and carrying off one end twenty-four feet." 
The expense of this alteration was defrayed by a free con- 
tribution. The same year, " The Charlestown neighbours 
on Mistic side " and their heirs received " free liberty to 
come into the meeting-house and hear the word of God, and 
be seated by a committee " on condition of paying <£30. In 
1721 these Charlestown neighbors, (persons living on the 
north side of the Mystic,) were annexed to Maiden by the 
General Court. In that year the town raised =£40 pounds 
for the further enlargement of the meeting-house. 

The town laws required that all cattle should be marked, 
and that each man's mark should be recorded in the town 
book. The records contain many minutes of the ear marks 
put upon their cattle by the different inhabitants. The vari- 
ety is truly surprising, and the ears of the poor creatures were 

* Col. Nicholas Page appears to have emigrated to New England 
about 1660. He was a wealthy merchant, and a farm which lie owned 
at llumncy Marsh, (now Chelsea,) was his favorite residence. While re- 
siding there, he attended worship in Maiden, which was more easy of access 
than Boston. He commanded the company of dragoons in King Phil- 
ip's war ; he afterwards became Colonel of the Suffolk regiment , and 
in 1695 became Captain of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery com- 
pany. He took an active part in the deposition of Gov. Andros in 1 689. 
He "died Nov. 22, 1717, being about 80 years of age, leaving no posterity. 
In the possession of the First Church in Maiden there is a pair of ele- 
gant silver chalices bearing the following inscription : " The gift of Col. 
Nicholas Page to the Church in Maiden, 1701." 



128 

snipped into every conceivable shape. The following may 
be taken as an example, under date of 1689 : 

" The mark which cap. John line doe put upon ye ears of 
those his creturs which be usually ear marks — That is, ye 
top of ye near eare cut square of, and a slit down in the same 
eare. Also a half peney cut out of ye under side of ye fur- 
der eare." 

By a division of the town common, consisting of 2300 acres 
in 1694, it appears that the town contained 74 freeholders. 

In 1727 began the struggle about the location of the new 
meeting-house, which rent the little community with the 
greatest distractions of which it was capable. It would be 
tedious to go into the details of this excited controversy, whose 
object now appears so insignificant as whether the house 
should stand less than a quarter of a mile one way or the 
other. During this year several town-meetings were held, 
and a great variety of votes were passed and reconsidered in 
relation to the various sites as proposed for the new meeting- 
house. The contest was brought to a crisis by an order of 
the General Court, who interposed, August 4, 1729, an order 
that the house should be placed at the pound, where the brick 
meeting-house now stands. And on the 28th of the same 
month, (showing that no time was lost,) the frame of the new 
meeting-house was raised. The house was built with but one 
gallery, but afterwards another was built above the first. 
These were appropriated to children and youth, who occa- 
sionally were so troublesome as to render certain police 
measures necessary to keep them in order. 

On the 9th of August, 1730, Rev. Mr. Emerson took leave 
of the old meeting-house, in a sermon from the words, " Re- 
member how thou hast received and heard." Just after the 
sermon began, Mr. Hutchinson's house was fired by a negro 
and burnt to the ground. A few weeks after, a contribution 
of .£22 was made for Mr. H. The negro was executed for 
his crime. On the following Sabbath, the new meeting-house 
was occupied for the first time. The people in the south 
part had made arrangements for a separate meeting, but 
were disappointed. On the 13th of September, the people of 
the south-side held their first separate meeting for public 
worship. Though the people of the south part had not, 
as yet, a separate church, or parish, or organization, their 



129 

house of worship on Nelson's hill, seems to have been erected 
in 1731. 

A council of three churches met April 16th, 1734 ; and on 
the 18th embodied the South Church, with sixteen male 
members. On the 4th of September following, Jonathan 
Sargeant and Ebenezer Upham were chosen ruling elders, 
and John Mudge deacon. Rev. Joseph Stimpson, of Charles- 
town, was settled as pastor of this church, September 24th, 
1735. He appears to have been frequently disabled by- 
sickness from occupying the desk, and was consequently 
dismissed in 1744. 

In 1737, the south part of the town, with the exception of 
eight families, was incorporated by the General Court, into a 
separate religious precinct. It was several years before their 
sanctuary was finished, if it ever was ; and those who resorted 
to it never enjoyed the convenience of a public road, as it 
stood, unfortunately, in the midst of the lots. Two years 
after Mr. Stimpson's dismissal, this precinct invited Joseph 
Emerson, Jr., a son of the minister of the old parish, to 
become their pastor ; but the terms of settlement were not 
acceptable to him. In 1747, Rev. Aaron Cleveland was 
installed over them, and was dismissed in two or three years. 

In 1752, the old parish proposed a union with the south 
precinct, on condition that the new meeting-house, whose 
location had caused the division, should be taken down and 
removed to the place where the first house of worship used 
to stand. But the southerners refused the motion. 

In 1752, Rev. Eliakim Willis became pastor of the south 
society. In the course of thirty or forty years their interests 
so far decayed that they barely maintained the forms of 
public worship. Mr. Willis was obliged to take the Par- 
sonage to satisfy his claims for salary. He then preached 
for some time for a little pittance, which was raised from 
Sabbath to Sabbath. In the summer of 1787, in consequence 
of disaffection with Rev. Mr. Judson, then minister of the 
first parish, a score of individuals of influence went off* and 
joined the south precinct. This was a seasonable reinforce- 
ment to that declining society. They repaired the meeting- 
house, on that bleak and lonely hill. They found the win- 
dows sadly shattered, the clap-boards hanging down by the 
end, and the whole edifice presenting a most cheerless and 



130 



desolate aspect. The heart of Mr. Willis was greatly- 
revived. On the dismission of Mr. Judson, in 1791, the way 
seems to have been opened for the healing of the old schism. 
A reconciliation took place ; and on the 25th of March, 1792, 
the first and second churches were incorporated into one, 
after a separation of more than fifty-five years. By this meas- 
ure, Mr. Willis became pastor of the united churches. 

In 1729, the north part of Maiden, including ten families, 
was annexed to Reading. 

There is extant a Petition, " To the Great and General 
Court," of Timothy Sprague, of Maiden, miller, relating to 
his mill privileges, and bearing date December, 1751. On 
the back of this petition, there is a petition in aid, signed by 
the following inhabitants of Maiden : 



Nathaniel Howard, 
Thomas Wayte, 
Joseph Wayte, 
Edward Halloway, 
Abraham Skinner, 
James Whitemore, 
John Sergant, 
John Mudge, 
William Sergeant, 
John Mudge, Jr., 
Daniel Floyd, 
Benjamin Wayte, 
John Winslow, 
Thomas Parker, 
Nath'll Nickels, 
Sam'l Nichols, 
William Pratt, 
John Green, Jr., 
John Knower, 
Jacob Winslow, 
James Hovey, 
Nathaniel Ewster 
Thomas De Greshe, 
Thomas Oakes, 
James Baldwin, 
Uriah Oakes, 
Thomas Knower, 
Thomas Stevens, 
Samuel Stower, 
William Sprague, 
John Stower, 
Thomas Parker, Jr., 



Samuel Sprague, 
Lemuel Jenkins, 
Thomas Waite, Jr., 
John Column, 
Phinehas Sprague, Jr., 
Ezekiel Jenkins, Jr., 
Joseph Jenkins, Jr., 
Jonathan Sergant, 
Solomon Townsend, 
Ebenezer Sergant, 
Isac Wheeler, 
Joseph Sergant, 
Nath'l Jenkins, 
Stephen Tufts, 
John Upham, 
Samuel Wayte, Jr., 
Sam'l Waite, 
James Millinor, 
Ezekiel Jenkins, 
Samuel Blanchard, 
William Macqueston, 
John Grover, 
Jonathan Howard, 
Sam'l Smith, 
John Hutchinson, 
James Green, 
Nathaniel Upham, 
James Upham, 
Joses Bucknam, 
James Moulton, 
Joses Bucknam, Jr., 



Phinehas Sargent, 
Thomas Norris, 
Ebenezer Pratt, 
Daniel Whittemore, 
Thomas DeGreshe, Jr., 
Thomas Pratt, 
Robert Eames, 
Richard Pratt, 
Lemuel Grover, 
Phinehas Upham, 
Jonathan Howard, 
Timothy Upham, 
Thomas Douglass, 
Richard Pratt, 
Samuel Breeden, 
Ezekiel Howard, 
Ebenezer Harden, Jr., 
Jeremiah Howard, 
Jacob Barrett, 
Joseph Chadwick, 
Timothy Waitt, 
David Upham, 
John Wilson, 
John Wilson, Jr., 
Moses Hill, 
Thomas Mansur, 
Jacob Parker, 
David Parker, 
Benjamin Falkencr, 
Joseph Lamson, 
Joseph Halhvell. 



131 

la 1736, an alarming disease prevailed in the town, effect- 
ing especially the children. It was called the " throat 
distemper." Forty died of it in the town from the beginning 
of July to the 20th of October. Two families buried three, 
others four each, and one family five. 

In February 4th, 1761, the Selectmen sold a mulatto child 
to Mr. Solomon Townsend. There were formerly a number 
of persons of African descent held in chains of bondage among 
us, one or two of whom survived until within a very few 
years. There is a tradition that one of our old Esquires of 
this town had a slave who had been in his family until he 
was about seventy years of age. Perceiving that there was 
not much more work left in the old man, the Esquire took 
him one day, and made him a somewhat pompous address 
to the following effect. " You have been a faithful servant to 
me and my father before me. I have long been thinking 
what I should do to reward you for your services. I give 
you your freedom ! You are your own master ; you are 
your own man." Upon this the old negro shook his grisly 
head, and with a sly glance, showing that he saw through 
his master's intentions, quietly replied ; " No, no, Massa, 
you eat de meat, and noio you must pick de Z»o?ie." 

During the Revolutionary war, it was voted in a legal 
town-meeting, to choose a committee to go and remonstrate 
with the Committee of Supplies at Watertown, or else with 
the Honorable Provincial Congress, informing them, " That 
with great grief they observed the breach of the Sabbath 
made by multitudes of teams travelling upon that day, and 
other persons unnecessarily journeying ; and to desire that 
they would take effectual measures to prevent the same for 
the future." 

In 1770 the town gave another proof of strong moral prin- 
ciple, by voting " That we will not use any foreign tea, nor 
countenance the use of it in our families unless for sickness, 
till the revenue acts are repealed." 

In consequence of the depreciation of the Continental cur- 
rency, the town, in 1779, passed a sumptuary law regulating 
the price of various commodities. Among other things, it 
was fixed, " That the price of men's good leather shoes should 
be =£5 2s ; and women's do. =£3 12s ; that W. I. toddy 
should be 16s a bowl, and New England Rum 12s a bowl." 



132 

This vote was afterwards reconsidered ; and it was deter- 
mined that toddy should be 1 8s a bowl when made with loaf 
sugar, and 16s when made with brown." 

No other incidents of material importance connected with 
the history of the town during this century are in our posses- 
sion, aside from the ecclesiastical affairs, which are more 
fully noticed in the account of the ministers of the town, and 
the colonial struggles with the mother country, so largely 
treated of in Mr. Green's Bi-Centennial Oration. 

The present brick meeting-house was erected on the spot 
where the former house stood, in 1802. The following 
laconic note in reference to the building of the house stands 
on record ; date Dec. 7, 1801 : 

Voted, to build a brick meeting-house. Voted, to pur- 
chase the bricks rather than make them. Voted, to pass over 
the 6th and 7th articles. Voted, to adjourn. 

A bell for the use of the town was given by " Lord Timo- 
thy Dexter" of eccentric memory. The following vote of 
thanks was presented to him : 

" Voted, That we are deeply sensible of the honor done by 
Timothy Dexter, Esq., in the donation of the large and ele- 
gant bell which he has presented us. That we hope to retain 
a grateful remembrance of our obligations to him ; and unani- 
mously request Mr. Dexter to accept our sincere thanks for 
the honor conferred upon the people of his native town." 

There were originally two cupolas on the house, which 
were removed, agreeably to a vote of the parish, in 1824, and 
the present steeple was erected instead of them. 



ANCIENT MINISTRY OF MALDEN. 



The first year or two of its existence, the infant church 
was supplied by a lay preacher, "a godly Christian named 
M. Sarjant," who is supposed to be the ancestor of those who 
bear the name in this town. He was assisted occasionally 
by certain " young Students from the College." 

MARMADUKE MATHEWS. 

Of the early life of this afflicted man, few traces can be 
found. He was the son of Matthew Mathews, and was born 
at Swansey, in the Welsh county of Glamorgan, in the year 
1605. By the matriculation-books of Oxford University, 
where he is entered as a " plebeian, 1 ' we find him, at the age 
of eighteen, a scholar of All Souls' College. He was evi- 
dently a man of learning, talent, and ardent piety. He 
arrived at Boston, in a ship from Barnstable, September 21, 
1638 ; and was first settled in the Plymouth Colony over the 
church at Yarmouth, to which he went, in company with the 
first settlers, in the succeeding winter. He took the " free- 
man's oath " at that time. He is named in " Morton's Me- 
morial," under date of 1642, as one of those " Godly and 
able Gospel Preachers " with whom " about these times the 
Lord was pleased of his great goodness richly to accomplish 
and adorn the Colony of Plymouth." He is also mentioned by 
Hubbard, as among the " many worthy ministers " of that Col- 
ony in 1643. He is also named with respect in the antiquated 
narration of Lechford. He subsequently got into difficulty 
on account of some sentiments advanced in his preaching. 
Having paid the penalty exacted by the magistrates, he left 
the " Plymouth Patent," probably in 1647, and came into the 
colony of Massachusetts Bay; these colonies being then, and 
long after, separate governments or jurisdictions. 

He preached a short time at Nantasket, probably in 1644, 



134 

in which year that place received the name of Hull. He 
soon, however, as Edward Johnson tells us, " lost the appro- 
bation of some able, understanding men, among both magis- 
trates and ministers, by weak and unsafe expressions in his 
teaching." For this sorrowful offence, he submitted to fine 
and admonition. The church at Maiden, during the previous 
year or two of its existence, had been supplied by a lay 
preacher, " a godly Christian," one Sargent, assisted occa- 
sionally by young students from the college. This infant 
church, notwithstanding the unpopularity of Mr. Mathews, 
called him to be its first pastor, in the year 1650. But pre- 
vious to this they had extended similar invitations to Mr. 
Miller, then at Rowley, Mr. Blinman, Mr. John Wilson, son 
of the first pastor of Boston, Mr. Samuel Mather, Mr. Ezek- 
iel Cheever, Mr. Lyon, to one of Watertown officers, to one 
of Charlestown church officers, and Mr. John Breck. 

This measure involved the church in very great diffi- 
culties with the civil government. Having transcribed the 
original manuscript documents, we shall be able to give a 
distinct account of the business, which is one of the most 
remarkable cases on record of the interference of the colo- 
nial authorities in the affairs of religion, and has never before 
been fully published. At that time, it was the received doc- 
trine of the Christian world, that the magistrate is " keeper 
of both tables of the law;" that is, of the first table, con- 
taining the first four commands of the decalogue relating to 
our duties to God, as well as of the second table, containing 
the precepts which relate to our duty to man. This opinion, 
though not much enforced in practice, is retained to this day 
in our Revised Statutes ; which still have enactments for the 
punishment of blasphemy, profanity, Sabbath breach, and 
other offences against " the first table." 

The first document on record, is a petition of the inhabi- 
tants of Hull to the General Court, that Mr. Mathews may 
be encournged to return and preach among them. This 
"encouragement" means pecuniary aid from the public 
treasury ; the General Court being, in those days, the only 
Home Missionary Society for the support of the feebler 
churches. The reply is dated May 3d, 1649. " The Court 
judge it no way meet to grant the inhabitants of Hull their 
desire, for Mr. Mathews returning to them, nor residing with 



135 

them ; and do declare that they find several erroneous ex- 
pressions, others weak, inconvenient and unsafe, for which it 
judgeth it meet to order, that the said Mr. Mathews should be 
admonished by the Governor in the name of this Court." If 
the same rigor were now used against " weak and inconven- 
ient expressions," it is to be feared that very many ministers 
would be placed in no pleasing plight ! 

Next year, Mr, Mathews requested opportunity to give sat- 
isfaction in regard to the language at which exceptions had 
been taken. And the Court, on the 22d May, 1650, ordered 
that he should have a hearing for that purpose six days after, 
at eight o'clock in the morning, at the house of Mr. Philips of 
Boston, before " the Elders of Boston, Charlestown, Rox- 
bury and Dorchester, with such of the magistrates as shall 
please to be present." Mr. Mathews failed to give satisfac- 
tion at that conference. Notwithstanding this objection, the 
little church at Maiden proceeded, contrary to the remon- 
strances of several leading magistrates, and of neighboring 
churches, to ordain him as their minister. For thus exer- 
cising a plain right, they were sorely tried and troubled. 

At the next General Court of Elections, held May 7th, 
1651, a bill was presented, complaining of the " former and 
later miscarriages " of Mr. Mathews. He was ordered to 
appear and make answer on the fifth day following, at which 
time the witnesses were examined, and the case was fully 
heard. The Court determined, that Mr. Mathews had for- 
merly given much offence to magistrates, elders, and many 
brethren, by unsafe and unsound expressions in his public 
teaching; — that he had failed to give satisfaction to those 
magistrates and elders who had been appointed for the pur- 
pose, at his request ; — that he had since " delivered other 
unsafe and offensive expressions ;" — that magistrates, minis- 
ters and churches, had written to the church in Maiden, to 
give information of these offences, and to advise against pro- 
ceeding to ordain him ; and that yet, " contrary to all advice 
and the rule of God's Word, as also to the peace of the 
churches, the church of Maiden hath proceeded to the ordi- 
nation of Mr. Mathews." The Court, therefore, " taking 
into consideration the premises, and the dangerous conse- 
quences and effects that may follow such proceedings," 
orders that all the offences touching doctrinal points shatl be 



186 

duly considered by a Committee of nine of the Magistrates 
and Deputies. This Committee was authorized to avail itself, 
if need be, of the advice and help of any of the reverend 
elders, and was directed to make their report to the next ses- 
sion of the Court. The Maiden Church was also cited to 
the next Court, to answer for their offence in ordaining their 
minister under such circumstances. Mr. Mathews himself, 
for his offence in consenting to be so ordained, is ordered to 
give satisfaction to the Court then sitting, " by an humble 
acknowledging of his sin for his so proceeding, which if he 
refuse to do, he is to pay the sum of ten pounds within one 
month." At the day appointed, Mr. Mathews failed to make 
the required acknowledgment ; and accordingly a warrant 
was issued to the marshal to levy the fine upon the delin- 
quent's goods. As nothing could be found belonging to him, 
except his library, the Court permitted the execution " to be 
respited until other goods appear besides books." 

There is extant a very long document, containing the an- 
swer of Mr. Mathews to the accusations made against him at 
this time. It is a paper of considerable length, and contains 
the substance of quite a number of sermons which he had 
delivered, and shows that he was both an ingenious and 
learned preacher, soundly orthodox, and sincerely pious. 
The accusations preferred against him by John Hawthorne 
and Thomas Lynde, were nine in number ; and seem to 
have been exceptions taken at certain over-strong, rather than 
"weak" expressions; which expressions, as some would 
say, are too orthodox, several of them bordering a little on 
the antinomianism which caused so much trouble in the early 
times of the colony. What with his denials of some, and 
explanations of the rest, it would seem that he ought to have 
been acquited : but, probably, the case was turned against 
him by the verbal testimony of the witnesses. He thus be- 
gins his vindication : " In his name and presence, whose I 
am, and whom I desire to serve, and that with childlike fear, as 
also forevermore to rejoice in, and that with Christian trem- 
bling, I, the said Marmaduke Mathews, think good thus to 
answer." He then disposes of the several accusations in due 
order ; after which, he closes with a fervent prayer, that he 
may be "delivered from all unrighteous accusers and judges 
of his soul." There follows a declaration, signed by nine 



137 

brethren of the church at Maiden, that this answer is the 
substance of what was publicly delivered by Mr. Mathews. 
There is also a formal deposition to the same effect made by 
five of them, dated May lGth, and confirmed before a mag- 
istrate the next day. In this they speak of him as " our rev- 
erend Mr. Pastor, Mr. Marmadukc Mathews." 

As we have already mentioned, the doctrinal points were 
referred to a Committee of nine Magistrates and Deputies, 
that is, a joint Committee of the two houses usually thus de- 
signated ; together with such ministers as they chose to call 
to their aid. To this Committee, Mr. Mathews addressed 
the following characteristic letter : 

" To the honored Committee of the General Court, ap- 
pointed to examine some doctrinal points delivered at Hull, 
and since that time at Maiden, by Marmaduke Mathews. 

" Honored of God and of his people. 

" Having given you an account of my sense and of my 
faith in the conclusions which were accused before you, I 
thought good to acquaint you, that, if any among you, or 
others, should count that faith a fancy, and that sense to be 
nonsense, I desire that God may forgive them ; as I do, con- 
ceiving that such do not yet so well know what they do, as 
they shall know hereafter. 

" Yet, — in case that this should reach any satisfaction to 
such as are yet unsatisfied with my expressions, to know that 
I do acknowledge that their be sundry defects in sundry points 
that I have delivered, — I do hereby signify that, through 
mercy, I cannot but see, and also ingenuously confess, that 
some of my sayings are not safe nor sound in the superlative 
degree ; to wit, they are not most safe : nor yet are they 
either sound or safe in a comparative degree ; for I easily 
yield that not only wiser men probably would, but also I my- 
self possibly might, have made out Christ's mind, and my own 
meaning, in terms more sound and more safe than I have done, 
had I not been too much wanting, both to his sacred Majesty, 
whose unworthy messenger I was, and also to my hearers 
and myself: for which I desire to be humbled, and of which 
I desire to be healed by the Author of both ; as I do not 
doubt but that conscientious and charitable-hearted Chris- 
tians, (whose property and practice it is to put upon doubtful 
positions, not the worst construction, but the best,) will dis- 
10 



138 

cern, as I do, that there is a degree of soundness in what I do 
own, though but a positive degree. 

" However, it is, and I trust for ever shall be, my care to 
be more circumspect than I have hitherto been in avoiding 
all appearances of that way for the time to come ; that so I 
may the better approve myself, through the grace of Christ, 
and to the glory of God, such a workman as need not be 
ashamed. In the interim, I remain, amongst his unworthy 
servants the most unworthy, and 

" Your accused and condemned, 

" Fellow creature to command, 

"In the things of Christ, 

" Marmaduke Matheivs. 
" Boston this 13th of the 4th month, (June) 1651." 

Here comes in another document, which, if possible, af- 
' fords a still stronger proof of the degree of power assumed 
by the civil authority in such cases. The Maiden Church, 
deeply offended with Thomas Lynde, one of its members, 
for his agency in procuring these troubles, was about to sub- 
ject him to discipline. Upon which the Governor and Coun- 
cil interposed with the following curious injunction : 

" Christian Friends and Brethren : 

" We, being credibly informed of some purpose of yours 
to proceed further to censure Thomas Lynde for the testi- 
mony he gave in Court against Mr. Mathews, and that to ex- 
communication ; and knowing ourselves with what tenderness 
and caution he gave his aforesaid testimony, and what dis- 
turbance your proceeding may probably occasion both in the 
churches and civil government ; we thought it no less than 
our duty, in a case of this concernment, yet without any in- 
tention or desire in the least to infringe the liberty the 
Lord Jesus Christ hath purchased for his churches, to desire 
you to take the counsel and advice of three or four of your 
next neighboring churches in the case aforesaid, before you 
proceed to further censure ; — it being Thomas Lynde's earn- 
est request, as we are informed. So that, if the case shall 
appear clear to others, as it may seem to do to you, you may 
then proceed with more peace and comfort ; and be more 
fully convinced, if then he should continue obstinate. But in 



139 

case it should appear otherwise to other churches than it doth 
to you, the rule of God's Word may be further attended 
therein, for the preservation of true love and peace, which 
we desire you will jointly endeavor to promote with ourselves. 
So we rest your loving friends. 

" By order from the Council, 

" Edward Rawson, Secretary." 

On the 26th of October following, the Maiden Church, by 
way of answer to its arraignment for ordaining Mr. Mathews, 
presented a noble, though profoundly respectful, remonstrance 
against the proceedings of the Court. In the course of it, 
they say : 

" We know of no law of Christ, or of the country, that 
binds any church of Christ not to ordain their own officers 
without advice of magistrates and churches. We freely ac- 
knowledge ourselves engaged to any that in love afford any 
advice unto us. But we conceive a church is not bound to 
such advice, any farther than God commends it to their un- 
derstanding and conscience. Our laws allow every church 
free liberty of all the ordinances of God, according to the 
rule of the Scripture ; and, in particular, free liberty of elec- 
tion and ordination of all their officers from time to time, pro- 
vided they be pious, able, and orthodox ; and that no injunc- 
tion shall be put upon any church officer or member, in point 
of doctrine or discipline, whether for substance or circum- 
stance, besides the institutions of the Lord." 

The first consideration of this answer was referred by the 
Magistrates to the Deputies, or lower house. The Deputies, 
nine of the members dissenting, decide that the answer is 
insufficient ; and that the Church, excepting such members 
as did not concur in the offence, shall be fined fifty pounds. 
The matter being then referred back to the Magistrates, they, 
with one exception, concur in this sentence ; and so order is 
given by the whole Court, October 31st, 1651, that the fine 
be levied on the estates of three of the members of the 
Church, who are to assess the sum on their offending breth- 
ren, and to collect it of them. 

Three days previous to this decision, Mr. Mathews ad- 
dressed a meek communication to the General Court, ac- 
knowledging his " great insufficiency to declare the counsel 



140 



of God to his people ; " and that he had let fall some expres- 
sions which "are weak and inconvenient;" and desiring 
their prayers that he might be able to avoid all appearance of 
such evil in time to come. The same day, October 28th, 
the following petition was sent in by thirty-six females : 



11 To the HorCd Court : 

"The petition of many inhabitants of Maiden and Charles- 
town, or Mistick side, humbly sheweth : — That the Almighty 
God in great mercy to our souls, as we trust, hath, after 
many prayers, endeavors, and long waiting, brought Mr. 
Mathews among us, and put him into the work of the min- 
istry : — by whose pious life and labors the Lord hath afford- 
ed us many saving convictions, directions, reproofs, and con- 
solations ; and whose continuance in the service of Christ, 
if it were the good pleasure of God, we much desire : — and 
it is our humble request to this honored Court, that you would 
be pleased to pass by some personal and particular failings, 
(which may, as we humbly conceive, be for your glory, and 
no grief of heart to you in time to come,) and to permit him 
to employ those talents God hath furnished him withal. So 
shall we, your humble petitioners, and many others, be bound 
to pray, &c. 

28, 8, 51. [Oct. 28th, 1651.] 



Joan Sargeant, 
Joan Sprague, 
Jane Learned, 
Eliz. Carrington, 
Bridget Squire, 
Mary Wayte, 
Sarah Hills, 
An. Bibble, 
Eliz. Green, 
Wid. Blancher, 
Eliz. Addams, 
Sarah Bucknam, 



Thankslord Shepperd, 
Era. Cooke, 
Eliz. Knoher, 
Bridget Dexter, 
Lydia Greenland, 
Marget Pemerton, 
Han. Whittamore, 
Eliz. Green, 
Mary Bust, 
Eliz. Grover, 
Han. Barret, 
Eliz. Mirrable, 



Sarah Osbourn, 
An Hett, 
Mary Pratt, 
Eliz. Green, 
Joan Chadwieke, 
Marget Green, 
Helen Luddington, 
Susan Wilkinson, 
Joanna Call, 
Kachell Attwood, 
Marge Welding, 
Eebec. Hills. 



The Court concluded that the censure they were about to 
pass upon Mr. Mathews would afford the proper answer to 
this petition. Thus it appears to be no new thing for the 
ladies to memorialize our General Court. May they ever 
have as good an errand ; and ever meet with better success ! 



141 

On that same day, the Magistrates sent to the Deputies, or 
Representatives of the towns, a proposal that they should 
summon an Ecclesiastical Council to meet at Maiden, and to 
discuss the disputed points to the full satisfaction of Mr. 
Mathews and his flock ; so that the matter might be issued 
ecclesiastically, before it should be decided by the civil au- 
thority. In this plan, the Deputies refused to concur. 

On the 31st of October, Joseph Hills, an able lawyer and 
magistrate, and himself a member of the Maiden Church, in 
behalf of his brethren, made an acknowledgment additional 
to that which has been mentioned as made five days before. 
In this, they set forth the great pains they had taken to pro- 
cure a minister, having applied to not less than nine " ortho- 
dox approved men," before they had any thought of Mr. 
Mathews. They also urge that the written objections to him 
sent by certain " honored magistrates" did not come in the 
form of official acts, but merely as advice which the Church 
felt at liberty to accept or not, as they pleased. But all was 
in vain. A fine, as we have stated, was imposed on such as 
took part in his ordination, or, as we now call it, his installa- 
tion. This fine was afterwards abated to forty pounds. 

At the next Court, June 9th, 1652, the Deputies voted to 
remit the fine of ten pounds imposed on Mr. Mathews for the 
" defectiveness of his ordination." This was done for the 
reasons, that the Church took upon itself the whole blame of 
that transaction, that Mr. Mathews had since endeavored to 
remove the " grievances and offences of divers spirits," and 
that his "condition was but low in estate." To this merciful 
proposition the Magistrates refused their consent. But, at 
last, on the 19th of October, his fine was remitted in full. 
The fine imposed on the Church was not all paid in till more 
than ten years after sentence was pronounced, and of this, 
ten pounds was abated from the part required of Carrington, 
one of the three on whom the fine was levied, to be by them 
gathered from the rest. No doubt that money came hard ! 

Thus ended this comfortless business, affording an exam- 
ple of the sorry results which follow, when ecclesiastical af- 
fairs are handled by the civil authority. It is evident, from 
the documents, that our good fathers were quite perfect in 
the true theory of religious liberty ; but, in that age of uni- 
versal oppression, they had not fully learned how to reduce 



142 

their excellent theory to practice. We find that the Ecclesi- 
astical Statutes guaranteed to every church the right of se- 
lecting its own officers ; and yet the government inflicts a 
heavy fine on a feeble and impoverished church for exercising 
this right. We find the government protesting that it has 
" no intention or desire in the least to infringe the liberty the 
Lord Jesus Christ hath purchased for his churches ; " and 
yet it enjoins a church not to proceed in a case of discipline, 
which is a matter under its exclusive control. 

Edward Johnson, of Woburn, in his " Wonder-working 
Providences," says, in speaking of Mathews, "He will not 
miss to mind him in the following meeter : " 

" Mathews, tbou must build gold and silver on 

That precious stone, Christ cannot trash indure, 
Unstable straw and stubble must be gone, 

When Christ by fire doth purge his building pure ; 
In seemly and in modest terms do thou 

Christ's precious truths unto thy flock unfold, 
And mix not error with the truth, lest thou 

Soon leave out sense to make the truth to hold ; 
Completing of Christ's churches is at hand, 

Mathews, stand up and blow a certain sound, 
Warriors are wanting Babel to withstand ; 

Christ's truths maintain, 't will bring thee honors crowned." 

Mr. Mathews did not long remain in Maiden. He re- 
moved, probably, in 1552. He is mentioned by Farmer as 
having preached for a time at Lynn. In the course of two 
or three years, after leaving Maiden, he went back to Eng- 
land, where Oliver Cromwell was then Lord Protector. The 
returned pilgrim became vicar of St. John's Church, in his 
native town of Swansey. Here he labored faithfully, till the 
restoration of the Stuarts, when the Act of Uniformity, in 
1662, cast out of their churches and silenced above two 
thousand Puritan ministers. They, to their immortal honor, 
chose to part with every earthly advantage, and to suffer 
worldly loss and shame, rather than to violate their con- 
sciences by submitting to the unscriptural impositions in the 
Church as by law established. Among them, Mr. Mathews 
left a good living, though he had no other means of sub- 
sistence. 

He seems, however, to have been favored with more in- 
dulgence than most of his brethren: for, after his ejectment, 



143 

he preached, by the connivance of the magistrates, in a small 
chapel on the skirts of the town of Swansey. His pious 
zeal urged him to go from house to house, instructing the 
people. His discourse was wholly upon spiritual things. He 
made none but pastoral visits ; and received visits only in a 
ministerial manner, commencing with the affairs of the soul, 
as soon as the customary salutations were exchanged. If re- 
freshments were brought in, he used to take a glass in his 
hands, and having solemnly given thanks, he would drink to 
his friend, and tell him he was heartily welcome. On market 
days, he often went out to converse religiously with the peo- 
ple who came in from the country ; of whom, some would 
rudely repulse him, while others heard him gladly. He lit- 
erally lived by faith, and above the world, depending wholly 
on Providence for support. He subsisted for more than 
twenty years by the piety of his children, and by the kind- 
ness of friends, some of whom were not religious. He used 
to say, pleasantly, that he was " comfortably maintained by 
the children of God, by his own children, and by the chil- 
dren of this world." His preaching and conversation had 
some peculiarities which became him well, and were of 
advantage to many who heard him. He continued useful to 
the close of a good old age, and " fell on sleep " about the 
year 1683, after a pilgrimage of nearly fourscore years of 
poverty and persecution amid faithful labors for his Lord. 
Blessed is such sleep, and more blessed will be its waking. 

NATHANIEL UPHAM. 

This was a son of Dea. John Upham, one of the earliest 
and most prominent citizens of Maiden. He died at Cam- 
bridge, March 20, 1651, fifteen days after his marriage to 
Elizabeth Stedman, of that place. The record of his death 
in the Roxbury Church Chronicles, speaks of him as " Mr. 
Upham, who sometime preached in Maiden." He was un- 
doubtedly one of " the young students from the College," 
mentioned by Johnson as assisting to supply the pulpit before 
the coming of Mr. Mathews. 



144 



MICHAEL WIGGLESWORTH. 

Rev. Michael Wigglesworth was a native of England, 
born October 28, 1631, in his own words, " of godly pa- 
rents, that feared the Lord greatly, even from their youth. 
Meeting with opposition and persecution for religion, because 
they went from their own parish church to hear the word and 
receive the Lord's Supper, &zc, took up resolutions to pluck 
up their stakes, and remove themselves to New England. 
And accordingly they did so, leaving dear relations, friends 
and acquaintance, their native land, a new built house, a 
nourishing trade, to expose themselves to the hazard of the 
seas, and to the distressing difficulties of a howling wilder- 
ness, that they might enjoy liberty of conscience, and Christ 
and his ordinances." After many difficulties and dangers, 
they landed at Charlestown, the subject of this sketch being 
then not full seven years old. After seven weeks stay at 
Charlestown, the family removed by sea to New Haven, in 
October, 1638. " Winter approaching," he says, " we dwelt 
in a cellar partly under ground, covered with earth, the first 
winter. But I remember that one great rain brake in upon 
us, and drencht me so in my bed, being asleep, that I fell 
sick upon it." He was forthwith put to school to that famous 
pedagogue, Mr. Ezekiel Cheever, under whom he made such 
proficiency, that he began to write Latin compositions before 
he was nine years old. His father, however, being visited 
with lameness, which grew upon him thirteen years to his 
dying day, was obliged to take him off from his studies to 
assist him. In his fourteenth year, his father sent him back 
to his studies ; and in three years after, he was entered at 
Harvard College, where he graduated in 1651, and was soon 
appointed a fellow and tutor in that then youthful seat of 
science. In a document prepared by himself, probably to be 
presented at his examination as a candidate for ordination, he 
pays so beautiful a tribute to the piety and self-denial of his 
father, that we cannot refrain from quoting it : 

" It was an act of great self-denial in my father, that, not- 
withstanding his own lameness and great weakness of body, 
which required the service and helpfulness of a son, and 
having but one son to be the staff of his age, and supporter 
of his weakness, he would yet for my good be content to 



145 

deny himself of that comfort and assistance I might have 
lent him. It was also an evident proof of a strong faith in 
him, in that he durst adventure to send me to the College, 
though his estate was but small, and little enough to main- 
tain himself and small family left at home. And God let 
him live to see how acceptable to himself this service was in 
giving up his only son to the Lord, and bringing him up to 
learning, especially the lively actings of his faith and self- 
denial herein. For first, notwithstanding his great weakness 
of body, yet he lived till I was so far brought up as that I 
was called to be a fellow of the College and improved in 
public service there, and until I had preached several times; 
yea, and more than so ; he lived to see and hear what God 
had done for my soul in turning me from darkness unto 
light, and from the power of Sathan unto God, which filled 
his heart full of joy and thankfulness beyond what can be 
expressed. And for his outward estate, that was so far from 
being sunk by what he spent from year to year upon my 
education, that in six years time it was plainly doubled ; 
which himself took great notice of, and spake of it to myself 
and others, to the praise of God, with admiration and thank- 
fulness. And after he had lived under great and sore afflic- 
tion for the space of thirteen years, a pattern of faith, 
patience, humility, and heavenly-mindedness, having done 
his work in my education, and received an answer to his 
prayers, God took him to his Heavenly Rest, where he is 
now reaping the fruit of his labors." 

Having been strictly and religiously trained, Michael Wig- 
glesworth was kept, before and during his College course, 
from all scandalous sins ; bur, being actuated, as he says, 
" by corrupt nature, he could propound no right and noble 
ends to himself; but acted from self and for self." He was 
indeed studious, and strove to outdo his compeers ; " but it 
was for honor and applause, and preferment, and such poor 
beggarly ends." " But," he says, "'when I had been in 
College about three years and a half, God, in his love and 
pity to my soul, wrought a great change in me, both in heart 
and life, and from that time forward, I learned to study with 
God, and for God. And whereas, before that, I had thoughts 
of applying myself to the study and practice of physic, I 
wholly laid aside those thoughts, and did choose to serve 



146 

Christ in the work of the ministry, if he would please to fit 
me for it, and to accept of my service in that work." 

That he was much troubled in regard to health, while 
residing at Cambridge, is evident from the following passage 
in his diary while tutor there : " In our President's expo- 
sition, I found sweet encouragement, in regard to my bodily 
weakness, occasionally fetched from that, Isaiah xl. 30, 31," 
" Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young 
men shall utterly fall ; but they that wait upon the Lord shall 
renew their strength ; they shall mount up with wings as 
eagles," &c. Upon these words, President Dunster, making, 
as it seems, his daily exposition in the College hall, uttered 
the apposite remark : " It may be thou art sickly. Why, 
the Lord is thy physician, who healeth thee. He can make 
thee strong in thy age, though thou be weakly in thy youth." 
This assertion was made good, in a remarkable degree, to 
Mr. Wigglesworth. 

Dr. Increase Mather, who was one of his pupils, thus 
speaks of him as Fellow and Tutor : " With a rare faith- 
fulness did he adorn the station ! He used all the means 
imaginable, to make his pupils not only good scholars, but 
also good Christians, and instil into them those things which 
might render them rich blessings unto the churches of God. 
Unto his watchful and painful essays to keep them close unto 
their academical exercises, he added serious admonitions 
unto them about their interior 6tate ; and, (as I find in his 
reserved papers,) he employed his prayers and tears to God 
for them, and had such a flaming zeal to make them worthy 
men, that, upon reflection, he was afraid lest his ' cares for 
their good, and his affection to them, should so drink up his 
very spirit, as to steal away his heart from God.' " 

Towards the close of his college course, though Mr. W. had 
been intending to apply himself to the study and practice of 
physic, he turned his attention to the work of the ministry. 

President Dunster had a sister, the wife of Mr. Joseph 
Hills of Maiden, a lawyer of note, and one of the Governor's 
Assistants. It was probably by means of this connection, 
that Mr. Wigglesworth was here settled in the pastoral office. 
When about twenty-two years of age, he was invited to preach 
at Maiden. It was some five months before lie concluded 
to accept this invitation. He supplied the pulpit a year and 



147 

a half, being much troubled to decide what his duty might be, 
before he was fully inducted into the pastoral office. This 
was in or about the year 1654, some six years after the in- 
corporation of the town. Within four years we find him 
making sore complaints of his long continued and increasing 
bodily infirmities, by which he was disabled from preaching 
the gospel and administering the ordinances. In the midst 
of his " long continued and increasing infirmities," we find 
extracts like these in his private Sabbath memoranda : 

" March 21, 1658. Oh how vehemently do I desire to 
serve God, and not myself, in the conversion of souls this 
day. My soul longs after thy house and work, O God ! " 

" January 9, 1659. My soul panteth after thee, O God ! 
After more of thy favor, more of thine image. O satisfy 
me with the fatness of thy house, make me to drink of the 
rivers of thy joys, so that for the outward pressures I may 
have inward supportings and consolations. I long to serve 
thee, O Christ ! help thou me ! " 

" February 6. My soul, be cheerful in thy work ; thou 
servest a good Master." 

" June 5. Now, in the strength of Christ, I desire to seek 
him, and the advancement of God's glory, in the salvation of 
souls this day. Oh that I might see the fruit of my labors 
before I die! Oh my soul! perform this labor as thy last! " 

" September 25. 

" My sins and wants still sorely pain my heart; 
My hope in Christ relieves my smart, 
And in his day and work, I do delight." 

These extracts, now printed for the first time, may serve 
to show his eminent spirituality of mind, and his heavenly 
zeal. 

While struggling under his burdens, we find him employ- 
ing himself in writing his noted poem, " The Day of Doom," 
of which the first edition was published about the year 1662. 
It consisted of 1800 copies, which were sold within a year, 
with some profit to the author. The second edition was 
printed some four years later, with the addition of Scriptural 
proofs and marginal notes. In the preface to this book, 
which has been printed seven times in this country and once 
republished in London, he intimates that many supposed from 



148 

his habitual cheerfulness that, his disorders were wholly 
imaginary. 

Mr. Wigglesworth also gave to the public, in 1669, a poem 
on the sanctification of afflictions, of which he had large ex- 
perience. Of this book, we have a copy of the fifth edition, 
" corrected and amended by the Author, in the year 1703," 
not long before his death. Considering the small population 
of these colonies at that time, these frequent reprints are a 
remarkable proof of popularity. It is said, that very many 
of the old saints of past generations could recite the whole 
from memory. Of this later work, the first part is entitled, 
" Meat out of the Eater : or Meditations concerning the Ne- 
cessity, End, and Usefulness of afflictions unto God's Chil- 
dren ; All tending to Prepare them For, and Comfort them 
Under, the Cross." The first title alludes to Samson's rid- 
dle ; and truly, affliction, which had devoured so many of 
the good man's dearest joys, was made to disgorge far richer 
treasures than it took away. The second and larger part of 
this book is entitled, " Riddles Unriddled : or Christian Para- 
doxes broke open, smelling like sweet spice new taken out 
of boxes. 

" Each Paradox is like a Box 

That Cordials rare encloseth ; 
This Key unlocks, op'neth the 15ox, 

And what's within discloseth ; 
That whoso will may take his till, 

And gain where no man loseth." 

As the first part of the book treated of afflictions in general, 
so this part dwells more upon particular trials and tempta- 
tions. The several paradoxes, expounded at length in divers 
extensive " songs " and " meditations," are comprised in the 
following lines, which formed the thema to which he tuned 
his harp : 

" Light in Darkness, Sick men's Health, 
Strength in Weakness, Poor men's Wealth, 

In Confinerru nt, LUk rty, 

In Solitude, Good Company, 
Joy in sorrow, Lif in Deaths, 
Heavenly ( 'rownsjbr Thorny Wreaths, 

Are presented to thy view 

In the Poems that ensue. 
If my Dials had been thine, 
These would cheer thee more than Wine" 



149 

The composition of these poems, as appears by many en- 
tries in his private note books, was very laborious to him in 
the enfeebled state of his system ; but lie was stimulated to 
his task by the intense desire of usefulness to the souls of men. 

Among his unpublished writings, we find a poem, bearing 
the title : " God's Controversy with New England, written in 
the time of the great drought, Anno 1662. By a lover of 
New England's prosperity." This was a dark time for the 
Puritans on either side of the Atlantic. It was the year of 
the passage of the infamous " Act of Uniformity." The 
house of Stuart, then but newly restored to the British throne, 
was breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the non- 
conformists. The colonial charters and liberties of New- 
England were placed in the utmost peril ; and our fathers 
were quaking under the apprehension of losing all that they 
had sought and found on these desolate shores. It is not 
strange, that they should be disposed, at such a gloomy sea- 
son, to look upon the sickness and drought, with which they 
were then afflicted, as so many direct tokens of divine dis- 
pleasure at some degeneracy among themselves. 

In the poem before us, Mr. Wiggles worth, after a brief " Re- 
quest to the Reader," couched both in English and Latin 
verse, goes on to describe " New England planted, prospered, 
declining, threatened, punished." He gives at first, an inter- 
esting sketch of the earliest and best days, the golden age of 
New England. Next he speaks, in a few lines, of the de- 
generacy of the times in which he wrote. Then, the Divine 
Being is introduced, in a different and more elegiac strain, 
uttering his rebukes and denouncing retribution, unless there 
shall be speedy repentance. The poet closes with a sketch 
of the recent divine judgments upon the people, with a blast 
of the woe-trumpet announcing direr calamities at hand, and 
with a fervent protestation of his love and attachment to the 
land of his adoption. From this poem we give a dozen stan- 
zas, which have a value above that of their poetic merit, in 
the picture they afford of a state of society such as the world 
has never seen, before or since the period they describe. 

" Beyond the great Atlantick flood, 
There is a region vast ; 
A country where no English foot 
In former ages passed : 



150 

A waste and howling- wilderness, 

Where none inhabited 
But hellish fiends, and brutish men 

That devils worshipped. 

" This region was in darkness placed, 

Far off' from heaven's light, 
Amidst the shadows of grim death, 

And of eternal night. 
For there the Sun of righteousness 

Had never made to shine 
The light of his sweet countenance, 

And grace which is divine : 

" Until the time drew nigh, wherein 

The glorious Lord of hostes 
Was pleased to lead his armies forth 

Into those forrein coastes ; 
At whose approach the darkness sad 

Soon vanished away, 
And all the shaddows of the night 

Were turned to lightsome day. 

" The dark and dismal Western woods, 

(The Devil's den whilere,) 
Beheld such glorious gospel shine, 

As none beheld more cleare. 
Where Sathan had his sceptre swayed 

For many generations, 
The King of kings set up his throne 

To rule amongst the nations. 



" Thy terrours on the Heathen folk, 

O great Jehovah, fell': 
The fame of thy great acts, O Lord, 

Did all those nations quell. 
Some hid themselves for fear of thee 

In forrcsts wide and great ; 
Some to thy people croutching came, 

For favor to entreat. 

" Some were desirous to be taught 

The knowledge of thy wayes, 
And being taught, did soon accord 

Therein to spend their dayes. 
Thus were the fierce and barbarous 

Brought to civility, 
And those who lived like beasts, or worse, 

To live religiously. 



151 

" happiest of daycs, wherein 

The blind received sight, 
And those that had no eyes before, 

Were made to see the light ! 
The wilderness hereat rejoye't, 

The woods for joy did sing, 
The valleys and the little hills 

Thy praises echoing. 

11 Here was the hiding-place, which thon, 

Jehovah, didst provide 
For thy redeemed ones, and where 

Thou didst thy jewels hide 
In perilous times, and saddest dayes 

Of sack-cloth and of blood, 
When the overflowing scourge did pass 

Through Europe, like a flood. 

' While almost all the world beside 

Lay weltering in their gore : 
We, only we, enjoyd such peace 

As none enjoyd before. 
No forrein foeman did us fray, 

Nor threatened us with warrs : 
We had no enemyes at home, 

Nor no domestick jarrs. 

' The Lord had made, (such was his grace,) 

For us a Covenant, 
Both with the men, and with the beasts, 

That in this desart haunt : 
So that through places wilde and waste 

A single man, disarmed, 
Might journey many hundred miles, 

And not at all be harmed. 

• Our Governor was of ourselves, 

With all his bretheren, 
For wisdom and true piety, 

Select, and chosen men, 
Who, ruling in the fear of God, 

The righteous cause maintained, 
And all injurious violence, 

And wickedness restrained. 

Our tcmp'rall blessings did abound ; 

But spirituall good things 
Much more abounded to the praise 

Of that great King of kings. 



152 

God's throne was here set up ; here was 

His tabernacle pight; 
This was the place, and these the folk, 

In whom he took delight. 

" Our morning stairs shone all day long; 

Their beams gave forth such light, 
As did the noon-day sun abash, 

And 's glory dazle quite. 
Our day continued many veers, 

And had no night at all : 
Yea, many thought the light would last, 

And be perpetuall. 

" Such, New England was thy first, 

Such was thy best estate ; 
But, loe ! a strange and sudden change 

My courage did amate. 
The brightest of our morning starrs 

Did wholly disappeare; 
And those that tamed behind, 

With sack-cloth covered were." 

At this point, the Lord, as in the book of Job, becomes an 
interlocutor ; and utters an extended remonstrance against 
the defections of this favored people, and a terrible denuncia- 
tion of wrath. The poet then describes the " flying darts" of 
sickness, bringing to an end those healthful days in which it 
used to be said, that " a draught of New England's air was 
wholesomer than a sup of Old England's ale." The change, 
as he describes it, was very remarkable ; and it was then, as 
we learn from another source, that the frightful disease known 
as cynanclie, trachealis, or croup, was first heard of. 

"New England, where for many yeers 

You scarcely heard a cough, 
And where Physicians had no work, 

Now finds them work enough. 
Now colds and coughs, Rheums and sore throat, 

Do more and more abound ; 
Now Agues strong, and Fevers sore, 

In every place are found." 

To times of sickness, wherein the healthful were too few 
" to help the languishing," succeeded unfruitful seasons ; and 
at last, came a drought whose extremity was at that time 
presaging a famine, while still sorer judgments seemed to be 
impending over the land. The poem ends with an affection- 



153 

ate appeal to New England, which the author closes by tell- 
ing her : 

" Thou still hast in thee many praying saints, 
Of great account, and precious with the Lord, 
Who daily powre out unto him their plaints, 
And strive to please him, both in deed and word. 

" Cheer on, sweet souls, my heart is with you all, 
And shall be with you, maugre Sathan's might", 
And wheresoere this body be a thrall, 

Still in New England shall my soul delight." 

When Mr. Wigglesworth had exercised his ministry some 
eight or nine years, he was laid aside from his duties, appa- 
rently by some pulmonary complaint, perhaps the asthma, un- 
der which disability he labored for more than twenty years. 

On September 23, 1663, he sailed for Bermuda in search 
of health, where he remained about seven months and a half. 
The tedious and stormy voyage seems to have impaired his 
health so much, that the change of climate afforded him little 
relief, and he returned much discouraged. He met with 
a very cordial welcome from his friends and parishioners. 

His long illness made him so conversant with the taking 
of medicine, that he took to administering it. At last, when 
his church, which had been supplied by several able minis- 
ters, was reduced to a state of extreme distress, his health 
was wonderfully restored, so that for another twenty years 
he was enabled to sustain the labors of his pastoral office. 
About a year after the resumption of his duties, in 1686, he 
preached the Election Sermon, which was published ; and 
the Artillery Election Sermon in 1696. On the former oc- 
casion he publicly alluded to his recent and long seclusion. 
In the Diary of Judge Sewall, who was present at that time, 
we find the following entry : 

"In his prayer he said, That we may know the things of 
our peace in this our day, and it may be the last of our 
days. He acknowledged God as to the Election ; and bring- 
ing him forth, as it were, a dead man, who had been reckoned 
among the dead, to preach." 

He died June 10, 1705, of which event Judge Sewall 
writes as follows in his Diary : 

" Lord's Day, June 10, 1705. Ye Learned and pious Mr. 
Michael Wigglesworth died at Maiden about 9, A. M. He 
li 



154 

had been sick about ten days of a Fever ; seventy-three 
years and eight months old. He was the Author of the 
Poem entituled the Day of Doom, which has been so often 
printed, and was very useful as a Physician." 

His name was held in great veneration in Maiden long 
after his death. The following epitaph is still legible on his 
ancient grave stone in the old burial ground : 

Memento Mori : Fngit Hora. 
Here Lyes Buried ye Body of 
That Faithfull Servant of 
Jesus Christ ye Reverend 
Mr. Michael Wigglesworth 
Pastour of ye Church of Christ 

at Maulden — years who 
Finished His Work and Entered 

Upon An Eternal Sabbath 

Of Rest on ye Lord's Day June 

ye 10, 1705 in ye 74 year of his age. 

Here lyes Intcrd in Silent Grave Below 
Mauldens Physician of Soul and Body two. 

The late Deacon Ramsdell, out of pious reverence for his^ 
memory, was accustomed once a year, like "Old Mortality" 
in the " Tales of My Landlord," to refresh this time-worn 
inscription. It seems to be time, that some monument more 
fitting than that crumbling; and almost illegible and invisible 
stone should mark the spot where his ashes rest. 

The high estimation in which he was held by his contem- 
poraries, may be learned by the Sermon preached at his 
funeral by Dr. Increase Mather, and which has lately been 
reprinted and distributed through the town.* 

* There is a difficulty as to deciding who is the author of the sermon. 
In the only perfect copy known to be extant, the author's name is not 
given in the title ; but the dedication " to the Church and Congregation 
at Maiden in New England" is signed by Increase Mather; and, so far 
as we know, dedications are invariably signed by the author. Dr. M. 
was but a few years younger than Mr. Wigglesworth, to whom he had 
been a pupil ; and for nearly half a century after, was a near neighbor in 
the ministry; they were also for many years intimately associated in the 
government of the College of which Dr. M. was President, and Mr. W. 
one of the Fellows. All these things mark Dr. M. as the most suitable 
person to preach this sermon. On the other hand, there is an edition of 
the "Day of Doom," printed at Boston ten years after the sermon, in 
1715 ; in which, among other appended matter, is reprinted from the ser- 
mon, with appropriate alterations, the personal sketch of Mr. Wiggles- 



155 

" It was a surprise unto us," says Dr. Mather, " to see a 
Little Feeble Shadow of a Man, beyond Seventy, Preaching 
usually Twice and Thrice in a Week; Visiting and Comfort- 
ing the Afflicted ; Encouraging the Private Meetings ; Cate- 
chising the Children of the Flock ; and Managing the Gov- 
ernment of the Church ; and attending the Sick, not only as 
a Pastor, but as a Physician too ; and this not only in his 
own Town, but in all those of the Vicinity. Thus he did, 
unto the Last ; and was but one Lord's Day taken off, before 
his Last." 

Thus departed to his rest this excellent example of an 
ancient pilgrim, puritan, and pastor. His friends used to call 
him " Orthodoxus Maldunatus," probably in allusion to the 
learned Jesuit, Maldonatus. 

His first wife died December 21, 1659. There is reason to 
suppose that her maiden name was Hobson ; and that she came 
from Rowley, as her father died there during the preceding 
summer. Of his second wife, the only memorial extant is 
the following inscription on her grave stone : " Here lies 
the body of Martha Wigglesworth, late wife to Michael 
Wigglesworth, who died September 11, 1690, aged about 
28." If this inscription be correct, Mr. Wigglesworth's 
children bv her were Abigail, born March 20, 1681 ; Mary, 
Sept. 21, i682; Esther, April 16, 1685; Dorothy, Feb. 22, 
1687 ; Samuel, Feb. 4, 1689. His last wife was Sybil Spar- 
hawk, or Sparrowhawke, daughter of Nathaniel Sparhawk, 
of Cambridge. Her only child was Edward, born about the 
beginning of the year 1693. She departed this life at Cam- 
bridge August 6, 1708, in the 51th year of her age. 

The youngest son, Edward Wigglesworth, D. D., was the 
first Professor of Divinity at Harvard College on the Hollis 
foundation, in which office he continued forty-three years till 

worth, which is there expressly ascribed to Dr. Cotton Mather. As 
both the Mathers were then living as colleagues, and at the height of 
their reputation, this would seem to settle the point in favor of the son. 
We offer, however, the following hypothesis, viz : that this is a case of 
what D'Israeli calls " literary partnership," of which there are other in- 
stances in the case of this distinguished parent and son ; and that the 
sermon was preached, and the body of it prepared, by Dr. Increase 
Mather, whose grave and sententious style it bears ; while the biograph- 
ical portion was furnished by Dr. Cotton Mather, whose quainter style 
is manifestly traced in it, and who was wonderfully addicted to the 
department of historical composition. 



156 

his death. He was immediately succeeded by his son, Ed- 
ward Wigglesworth, D. D., and a grandson of our patriarch. 
The second Professor continued in office twenty-six years, 
until his resignation in 1792. He was forthwith succeeded 
by the Rev. David Tappan, who was a great-grandson of 
Michael Wigglesworth, through his daughter Abigail, a most 
estimable woman, who was married to Samuel Tappan of 
Newbury ; and ancestress of numerous gentlemen of dis- 
tinction of that name. It is a very remarkable circumstance, 
that of the four Hollis Professors, the three first, who held the 
chair for eighty successive years, with high reputation, should 
have been respectively the son, grandson, and great-grand- 
son of that good man. 

MR. WIGGLESWORTH's COLLEAGUES. 

It appears by an old letter still extant, addressed to Mr. Wig- 
glesworth by Samuel Sprague, of date July 22, 1687, that 
Mr. W. never resigned his pastoral charge. During the 
interruption of his pulpit ministrations, three colleagues in 
succession aided him in the pastoral office. 

BENJAMIN BUNKER. 

The first of Mr. Wiggles worth's colleagues, was the son of 
George Bunker of Charlestown, from which family the name 
of Bunker's Hill was probably derived. He was born in 
Charlestown in 1635. The following is the record of his 
baptism in the First Church of that place: — "1635, 7: 
mo : day 20, Beniamine Buncker the son of George Buncker 
and of Judith his wife, was Babtized." He was admitted by 
profession to that church, April 29, 1660, having graduated 
at Harvard College in 1658. The following memoranda 
by Rev. Samuel Danforth, in the records of the First Church, 
Roxbury, preserve the dates of his ordination, and of his 
death, in Maiden. " 1663, Decemb. 9. The ordination of 
Mr. Benj. Bunker to the office of a Pastor in Maiden." " 2. 
12 mo. 1669. Mr. Benj. Bunker, Pastor to ye church at Mai- 
den, died." 

BENJAMIN BLACKMAN. 

He appears to have been settled about the year 1674, 
some five years after the death of Mr. Bunker. This 



157 

gentleman was the son of Rev. Adam Blackman, first minister 
of Stratford, Ct. The town records state that he " supplied 
the desk four years, and left in the year 1678." While 
here " he lived in the ministry house, upon which he 
laid out money and repairs." In March, 1679, " a Committee 
of ye town settled with Mr. Blackman for his disbursements 
on the house, and purchased what land he owned himself, 
which, with the parsonage, was for the use of the ministry." 
He appears to have left the place in consequence of some 
discontent. Nine years afterwards, in May, 1688, he sued 
the town for arrears still due On leaving Maiden he 
preached at Scarboro', Maine. In 1683 he was a Representa- 
tive of Saco, in which town he was a large landholder, and 
owner of all the mill privileges on the east side of the river. 
He probably died in Boston. 

THOMAS CHEEVER. 

He was the son of the celebrated school master Ezekiel 
Cheever, author of the Latin Accidence, and Mr. Wiggles- 
worth's early teacher. Mr. Cheever began to preach at Mai- 
den, February 14, 1679. And at a meeting, December 27th, 
1680, " the year being neer upp,"he was requested to con- 
tinue. He was ordained July 27, 1681. Charges were 
brought against him before an Ecclesiastical Council in 1686. 
The Council sustained the charges, and he was dismissed May 
20, 1686. After living in retirement for many years, he 
recovered the public confidence, and was ordained the first 
pastor of the First Church in Chelsea, October 19, 1715, 
nearly thirty years after his dismission from Maiden. He 
continued in the ministry at Chelsea about thirty-five years 
more, and died at the advanced age of 91 years. 

About the time of Mr. Cheever's dismission from Maiden, 
the church seems to have been involved in dissensions and 
discouragements. 

There was much difficulty in supplying the vacancy made 
by the death of the lamented Mr. Wigglesworth. Soon after 
that event, the town voted, in concurrence with the church, 
that a Mr. Metcalf should be minister for five or six months ; 
twenty-one protesting against this temporary choice. At 
the end of the six months, the church nominated to the 



158 

town two candidates for settlement, Mr. Metcalf and a Mr. 
Barnard. Mr. Metcalf was chosen with twelve votes in the 
negative. -This call was not accepted ; and two months after, 
the town generally concurred with the church in the choice 
of Mr. Jeremiah Wise, (who was soon after settled at Ber- 
wick, Me., where he continued fifty years,) " to be there 
minister in order to ofice." In about four months again the 
town assembled to see whether they would concur with the 
church in the choice of Mr. Corwin ; but several of the 
parishioners and the " maigor part of ye church" refuse to 
vote, on the ground that these proceedings were not legal. 
Mr. Peter Thacher next received the ineffectual call. 

July 1, 1707, the town of Maiden was presented by the 
Grand Jury to the Quarter Sessions Court, for not having a 
minister settled according to statute, and ordered to obtain one 
forthwith, and was threatened with the severity of the law. 
Sept. 9, the Selectmen made answer that they have applied 
themselves to Mr. Clap, and are waiting for his reply. The 
Selectmen were required to give further answer at the ad- 
journed Court. Sept. 30, the Selectmen answer, that Mr. Clap 
had replied in the negative a few days before ; they request 
further time, which was granted. Dec. 9, the Selectmen re- 
port, " That they have had a general meeting of the town, and 
are in a hopeful way of being supplied, having applied them- 
selves to Mr. Gookin, and are waiting for his answer." They 
were ordered to make further report. This Mr. Nathaniel 
Googen, or Gookin, afterwards settled in Hampton, N. H. 
March 9, 1708, Lieut. Henry Green, in behalf of the town, 
reports, that they have applied to Mr. Joseph Parsons, who 
has the matter under consideration. These nine gentlemen 
refused the vacant pulpit, probably on account of the scanty 
stipend the people were able to offer them. Sept. 14, 1708, 
Lieut. Henry Green and John Green, in behalf of Maiden, 
informed the Court, " that they have had several meetings 
of the church, and one of the town, in order to the accom- 
modating of that affair, referring to a minister, but can make 
nothing take effect, but yet are in a very unsettled and divided 
frame, and so like to continue, and leave themselves to the 
pleasure of the Court.'" 

" The Court having, from Court to Court, in their several 
respective sessions, for a long time, pursuant to an act for set- 



159 

tlement of ministers, called the town of Maiden before them 
to answer to their presentment by the Grand Jury for being 
without a settled minister according to law ; and having pass- 
ed several orders upon the town to provide themselves of an 
orthodox minister, and to make their return of their doings 
thereon to the next Court of Sessions, all which orders prov- 
ing ineffectual, and they still so continuing, and like so to do, 
being in an unsettled and divided frame, and leaving them- 
selves to the Court for to use their pleasure with them as to 
that affair. The Court do unanimously agree and conclude 
as followeth : That Mr. Thomas Tufts is a suitable person 
qualified as aforesaid for the work of the ministry in that 
town of Maiden, and see cause to settle him there in that 
work ; and do order the town of Maiden to pay him for his 
maintenance during his continuance in said work amongst 
them, after the rate of =£70 money per annum, the same to 
be levied upon the respective inhabitants of the town, accord- 
ing to their respective proportion to the province tax for the 
time being." It was " further ordered, that the same be paid 
quarterly." 

DAVID PARSONS. 

While this affair was pending in the Quarter Sessions 
Court, application was made to Mr. David Parsons, of Spring- 
field, then at Long Island, to come and preach as a candi- 
date, " who so far accepted thereof as to come down there- 
upon." It so happened, that he preached part of the day on 
the first Sabbath of Mr. Tuft's preaching. On the follow- 
ing Monday, having heard this one sermon from Mr. Parsons, 
the church met, and gave him a call. He received the votes 
of 26 out of 31 members present, the others refusing to 
vote either way. On the Wednesday after, being October 
27, 1708, the town met, and passed a vote in concurrence 
with the church, 53 in the affirmative, forming by far the 
greater part of the voters in the town. Twelve persons pre- 
fixed their names to the following protest: 

" Weabove named, due enter our desent againest youre pro- 
seding this day Becas we dou conseve it is a contemte of 
atority and we done thinke we are not abell to maintain to 
minestars at once." 

At a previous meeting, the town appointed Lieut. Thomas 



160 

Newhall, Edward Sprague, Samuel Green, Sen'r, and En- 
sign Phineas Upham, " to Goe and to gete a petition dranc to 
present to the Generall Corte for the taking of [off] the 
quarter Sesesions order consaning mr. Thomas Tufts Being 
the minester of maiden." 

The town allowed Mr. Parsons " for his in Corigement 60 
pounds per year in mony, and the use and Benifet of the 
partinege, and the Town to put the partineg in Repaire, and all 
the naked mony that comes in to the Box so longe as he setels 
hear and contineues in the worke of the minestry amounght 
us here in maiden." * Upon the petition of the town, the 
General Court directed the order of the Quarter Sessions to 
be stayed till the issue of the affair referring to Mr. Parsons. 

Mr. Parsons was probably ordained in the spring or sum- 
mer following ; for in a receipt on the town book, subscribed 
by him May 15, 1721, he observes that he had been 
settled in the ministry nearly twelve years ; and that his 
church, according to the recommendation of a late Council, 
probably in consequence of the depreciation of his salary, 
had dismissed him. He removed to Leicester, where he was 
installed Sept. 15, 1721, and dismissed March 6, 1735. He 
died at that place in 1737. The year before his dismissal 
from Maiden, the town was indicted at the Quarter Sessions 
for non-fulfilment of their contract with him. The com- 
plaint was prosecuted by a Committee of the Church, and 
defended by a Committee of the town. The complaint was 
sustained by a verdict of the jury. Judgment was stayed 
until a viewing committee of justices could report on the 
premises. Upon their report it was " ordered that the Select- 
men pay a fine of ten pounds to the king unless they shingle 
the barn and repair the house and fences by the second 
Tuesday of August next, the Selectmen to make report and 
pay costs and fees. August 30th, the Selectmen report that 

* The minister's salary was raised by a direct tax on the polls and es- 
tates of the inhabitants. This was collected from time to time by pass- 
ing the contribution box to the congregation ; each member depositing 
the amount of his tax enclosed in a paper with his name. This amount 
was by the deacons passed to his credit on the tax list; the delinquents 
being left to the tender mercies of the law. The "naked money," or as 
it is often called the " loose money," was deposited by strangers, and the 
more liberal inhabitants ; and was sometimes the minister's perquisite, 
and sometimes went to the relief of the town, as might be agreed upon 
at the settlement of each pastor. 



161 

they have fully complied with the order for these repairs and 
the case is dismissed. 

EEV. JOSEPH EMERSON. 

In about one month after Mr. Parsons's dismissal, the church 
and town had each a meeting on the same day, and concur- 
red in the choice of Mr. Joseph Emerson to the pastoral 
office. He was the son of Edward Emerson, and the grand- 
son of Rev. Joseph Emerson, of Mendon. He was born 
April 20, 1700, at Chelmsford. Four or five years after, his 
parents removed to Charlestown. After several changes of 
residence, he entered Harvard College in 1713. He was 
admitted to the church in his senior year. He graduated in 
1717, and preached for the first time at a private meeting in 
Haverhill. The next year he spent in teaching a school in 
York, Me., occasionally preaching. The next year he kept 
a school at Newbury, and spent the winter after in preaching 
at Kingston. In July, 1719, he desisted from teaching, and 
went to reside with his uncle Waldo, at Boston. Here he 
continued, preaching in different places till March, 1721, 
when he was invited to Maiden. He was ordained October 
31 of that year. He was married December 27, 1721, to 
Mary, the only daughter of the eccentric and Rev. Samuel 
Moody, of York, after a wedding sermon, by a relative, from 
the text, " In the day of prosperity le joyful." August 1, 
1724, his house and most of his substance was consumed in 
the night by fire. The following day being the Sabbath, the 
Rev. Mr. Sewall preached from the other part of the verse 
which had furnished the wedding text, "In the day of adver- 
sity consider.'''' Thus is life made up of alternate sunshine 
and showers. On the following Sabbath, a generous public 
contribution was made for his relief. He removed January 
5, 1725, into his new house, which was undoubtedly the same 
structure now known as the " old parsonage." In 1727 
began the struggle about the location of the meeting-house, 
which resulted in the formation of the South Precinct, else- 
where described. These agitations and divisions greatly dis- 
tressed Mr. Emerson. October 29, 1727, occurred the 
" great earthquake," which produced a strong religious ex- 
citement throughout New England. Within two months of 
that event, forty persons were admitted to full communion to 



162 

Mr. Emerson's church. Having labored with great faithful- 
ness and success for forty-six years, and sustained an exalt- 
ed Christian character at home and abroad, he died, very 
suddenly, on Monday evening, July 13, 1767. During all 
his ministry he lost only two Sabbaths by sickness. He pub- 
lished several sermons and tracts, which met with favor in 
their day. He had nine sons and four daughters, of whom 
seven sons and three daughters lived to grow up. Three of 
his sons were ministers; Joseph of Pepperell, William of 
Concord, and John of Conway. Ten of his children fol- 
lowed him to the grave. The following epitaph is copied 
from his grave-stone : " Here lies interred the remains of 
that learned, pious, and faithful minister of the gospel, the 
Rev. Mr. Joseph Emerson, late pastor of the First Church in 
Maiden, who very suddenly departed this life July the 13, 
Anno Domini, 1767, in the 68th year of his age and forty- 
fifth of his ministry. How blessed are the dead who die in 
the Lord ; Rev. &c. Precious in the sight of the Lord is 
the death of his saints." After the death of Mr. Emerson, 
his worthy widow lived many years in Maiden, and died here 
quite suddenly of small pox in . 

REV. PETER THACHER. 

After the death of Mr. Emerson, the town was greatly 
divided and distracted, for some considerable time, as to who 
should be his successor. Rev. Peter Thacher, then a very 
young man, was teaching school at Chelsea. The father of 
Rev. Aaron Green, formerly of this place, being familiarly 
acquainted with him, invited him to pass the Sabbath with 
him, playfully remarking, " You had better bring a couple of 
sermons with you, for perhaps we shall make you preach." 
Accordingly it came to pass that he officiated at the morning 
service. His youthful and engaging mein, his silvery voice 
and golden eloquence, so charmed the disturbed elements, 
that during the intermission, it was decided by acclamation 
that this was the man to heal the dissensions. He was the 
eldest son of Oxenbridge Thacher, Jr., and was born in Mil- 
ton, March 21, 1752; his parents having retired to that place 
on account of the small pox being in Boston. From his 
early childhood he was noted for his studious and religious 



163 

disposition. He graduated at Harvard College in 1769, being 
but little more than seventeen years of age. A year after, 
September 19, 1770, he was ordained pastor in Maiden. 
Whitfield called him " the young Elijah," and pronounced 
him the ablest preacher in the colonies. About the time of 
his settlement began the preliminary struggles, which lasted 
till a mighty spasm wrenched our country from its depend- 
ence on Great Britain. In the movements at the time he 
took an active part both with the pulpit and the press ; and 
drafted those numerous spirited resolves and instructions 
which are placed on the records of the town.* On the 5th 
of March, 1776, by the request of the people of Boston, he 
pronounced the Oration against standing armies which had 
been annually delivered in commemoration of the Boston 
Massacre. As the British Governor would not allow this 
service to be attended in Boston, Mr. Thacher performed it 
with great applause at Watertown. He was a delegate from 
the town of Maiden to a Convention which formed the Con- 
stitution of Massachusetts in 1780. In this body he was a 
very active and influential member. He strenuously con- 
tended against establishing the office of Governor, and when 
the matter was decided contrary to his wishes, he still ob- 
jected to the title of " His Excellency," which was given to 
the chief Magistrate. But when the Constitution was adopted, 
he gave it his warmest support. 

In 1785, January 12th, lie was installed as successor of 
Dr. Cooper, in the Brattle Street Church, in Boston. The 
good people of Maiden did not relinquish their admired min- 
ister without a struggle. After much excited negotiation, it 
was agreed that the Brattle Street Church should pay the debt 
of the Maiden Church, amounting to a thousand dollars ; a 
debt undoubtedly contracted in consequence of the general 
distress occasioned by the revolutionary struggles. There is 
extant a manuscript copy of verses without name or date, 
which was written, probably, by one of our aggrieved towns- 
men. We print it here, as we suppose, for the first time: 

* Our young poet, in availing himself of the "license" which is 
claimed by his tribe as one of their perquisites, has elegantly represented 
the author of these resolves as slumbering in our old grave yard. See 
some of these Resolves under the head of Political Affairs. 



164 

Christ's wealthy church in Br-tt-e Str — t 
His poorer flock in Maiden greet ; 
With hearts brim full of Christian love, 
They wish them blessings from above. 

Dear sirs, of late we lost our pastor, 
And mourn sincere our sad disaster, 
Because we clearly can foresee 
Our sheep much scattered will be, 
Unless we should, of God's free grace, 
A shepherd get to fill his place. 

Now, having sought divine direction, 

We thought it best, on due reflection, 

To tempt the pastor of your church 

To leave his people in the lurch. 

Though few have heard him, scarcely thrice, 

Yet most believe he preaches nice ; 

And is a man that's fitted quite 

To make us all in him unite. 

On trial fair, we plainly find 
Our pious schemes well suit his mind. 
Then what remains for us to do, 
But settle matters right with you 1 
Sure if you cannot hiin maintain, 
Of us you ought not to complain. 
Now, therefore, send' him otf to us, 
And we will fill his mouth and purse. 
The cash you owe him, as 'tis said, 
Shall very cheerfully be paid. 
Another preacher should you want, 
A settlement for him we'll grant. 
Thus to the world we'll fully show, 
That nought but honor we've in view. 

Yet stronger arguments than these 
We can produce with greater ease : 
And make it clear that we are right, 
And act by help of gospel light. 
From best of men we often hear, 
That you've no souls to save, (we fear:) 



165 

That parts like his in napkin lay 
So long as he shall with you stay. 
Much time among you he has taught. 
And labored all this time for naught: 
To church no single soul could add, 
To make his pious heart full glad. 

But in this place, his talents five 
To occupy, would make us thrive. 
From day to day our church would grow, 
And make at last a goodly show. 
These weighty reasons, as we trust, 
You plainly see are good and just ; 
And freely grant us our request, 
Because we think it for the best. 
And now we all, with one accord, 
Subscribe, your brethren in the Lord. 

In this new station he became highly distinguished. He 
was made Doctor of Divinity by the University of Edinburgh. 
He was for several years Secretary for the Scottish Society 
for propagating the Gospel among the Indians of North 
America. He was a very active member of almost all the 
literary and charitable institutions existing in New England. 
Being afflicted with a pulmonary complaint, his people fur 
nished the means of conveyance to a milder climate. He 
sailed for Savannah, where, so rapid was the progress of his 
disease, that he died in six weeks after leaving home, De- 
cember 16, 1802, aged 50. The following is a list of his 
publications : an Oration against Standing Armies, 1776 ; 
his sermon on the death of A. Elliot, 1778 ; three sermons 
in proof of the eternity of future punishment, 1782 ; obser- 
vations on the state of the clergy in New England, with 
strictures upon the power of dismissing them usurped by 
some churches, 1783 ; a reply to strictures on the preceding ; 
sermon on the death of J. Paine, 1788 ; of Gov. Bowdoin, 
1791 ; of Gov. Hancock, 1739 ; of S. Stillman, Jr., 1794; 
of T. Russell, and of N. Gorham, 1796 ; of Dr. Clark, and 
of Rebecca Gill, 1798 ; of Gov. Sumner, 1799 ; of Wash- 
ington, 1800 ; at the ordination of E. Kellog, 1788 ; of W. 
F. Rowland, IT 90; of his son, Thomas Cushing Thacher, 
1794 ; memoirs of Dr. Boylston, 1789 ; sermon before the 



166 

Mass. Congregational Charitable Society, 1795 ; before a 
Society of Free Masons, 1797 ; at the Artillery Election, 
1798 ; a century sermon, 1799. 

REV. ADONIRAM JUDSON. 

Soon after Dr. Thacher's removal, the church presented a 
call to Rev. David Avery, but without success. On the third 
of July, 1786, their call devolved on Rev. Adoniram Judson, 
on which occasion, Capt. John Dexter entered his protest upon 
the Church records against " settling a minister of the Bade 
Hopkintonian Principels." After calling four councils, he 
was ordained at last, amid a tempest of opposition, January 
23, 1787. The whole period of his brief ministry was very 
stormy. In 1791, Mr. Judson gave way to the violent ani- 
mosities which he could not conciliate, and was dismissed 
from the North parish, which was soon after happily re- 
united with the South precinct. Mr. Judson was next in- 
stalled at Wenham, December 26, 1792, and dismissed Oc- 
tober 22, 1799. He was installed at Plymouth, May 12, 
1802. Embracing Baptist sentiments, he was dismissed from 
Plymouth in August, 1817. He was employed afterwards 
in several Baptist societies at Scituate, where he died. Mr. 
Judson was born at Woodbury, Conn., June 25, 1751. He 
graduated at Yale College, 1775. He died Nov. 25, 1826, 
aged 76 years. He was father of Dr. Judson, the Mission- 
ary at Burmah, who was a native of Maiden. 

REV. ELIAKIM WILLIS. 

Mr. Willis was a native of New Bedford, where he was 
born January 9, 1714. He graduated at Harvard College in 
1735. He was chosen by the South precinct in Maiden, in 
concurrence with the South Church, as their minister, October 
16, 1751. The precise time of his ordination is not recorded. 
After he had been pastor of the south precinct about forty 
years, his church was happily re-united with the First church, 
March 25, 1792.* For nine years after, he was minister for 

* Two other ministers preceded Mr. Willis in the charge of the South 
Church. The first of these was Ecv. John Stimpson, who was settled 
September 24, 1735. lie appears to have been frequently disabled from 



167 

the whole town, and died in office, March 14, 1801, aged 88. 
The funeral services were attended on Wednesday, March 
18, 1801. Rev. Messrs. Roby, Prentiss, Osgood, Thacher, 
Lothrop, and Eliot, were invited to attend as pall-bearers. 
The services were in the meeting-house, which was shrouded 
in black. Dr. Lothrop made the first prayer ; Dr. Thacher 
preached the Discourse, from 2 Tim. iv. 6, 7, 8. Mr. Pren- 
tiss made the concluding prayer. 

Mr. W. was a worthy man, and left a good name in the 
churches. He was chairman of the committee that reported 
the " Instructions of the town of Maiden," now in almost 
every house in the town ; though Mr. Thacher, it is said, 
was the author of them. The Uible now used in the pulpit 
of the First Parish was a present from him. He left also a 
numberof theological works as the basis of a parish library. 

REV. AARON GREEN. 

He was born in this town January 2, 1765. He graduat- 
ed at Harvard College in 1789. As an exception to the rule 
that " a prophet is not without honor save in his own country," 
he was ordained in his native place, September 30, 1795, as 
colleague pastor with the venerable Mr. Willis. Mr. Green re- 
signed his pastoral charge, August 8, 1827. He soon after 
removed to Andover, where he still resides in a peaceful and 
honored old age. 

his duties by sickness, and was consequently dismissed in 1744. He 
appears to have continued his residence in the town, as he was taxed for 
the support of his successor so late as 1752. 

The other minister, Eev. Aaron Cleaveland, a native of Medford, 
graduated at Harvard College in 1735. He was settled in the South 
precinct in 1747. He had been minister of Haddam, in Connecticut. 
He was dismissed from Maiden in 1750, and afterwards removed to 
Stoneham, where he remained until the Revolutionary war. 



168 



DISTINGUISHED CITIZENS. 



Joseph Hills. This gentleman was one of the first 
settlers of the town, a man of considerable note, and a 
lawyer by profession. " Wonder-working " Johnson speaks 
of him as " a man active for to bring the Lawes of the 
Country in order." He was born in 1602 ; came to New 
England at least as early as 1639, and was admitted a free- 
man in 1645. He resided first in Charlestown, then in Mil- 
den, and last at Newbury, whither he removed in 1657, and 
where he died February 5, 1688, aged 86 years. He was 
representative from Charlestown in the General Court for 
1647, in which year, also, he was Speaker. He was for some 
time Captain of the Maiden Company, and also represented 
Maiden from 1650 to 1656. He was for several years one 
of the Assistants of the Colony, a class of magistrates cor- 
responding to the present Senate and Governor's Council 
combined. In 1667, he represented the town of Newbury in 
the General Court. His first wife was Rose Dunster, a sis- 
ter of Henry Dunster, the first President of Harvard College. 
His second was Helen Atkinson, whom he married January, 
1656. His third wife was Ann, widow of Henry Lunt. He 
married her at Newbury, March 8, 1664. He had a son 
Joseph, who died in 1674 ; Wayt ; Gershom, born July 27, 
1639. He had also a son Samuel, who lived at Newbury. His 
daughters were Hannah, and three others who married a 
Blanchard, a Green, and a Vinton. He appears to have acted 
a prominent part in the affairs of the church during its tribu- 
lations on account of Mr. Mathews. The only other cir- 
cumstance of particular interest in respect to this gentleman, 
known to us, relates to his marriage. On the Records of 
the County Court, at Cambridge, under date April 1st, 1656, 
occurs the following entry : " Mr. Joseph Hills of Maiden 
was admonished for marrying of himself contrary to law. 



16t 

He made confession, and stated that he misunderstood the 
grounds whereon he went." It is to he feared that many 
who marry according to the provisions of the law, are unfor- 
tunately in the same predicament. 

John Ufham. This gentleman was one of the first settlers 
of the town. He was born in 1597, and probably came to 
this country in 1635. He first settled in Weymouth, which 
town he represented several times in the General Court. In 
1642 we find him one of the Commissioners to treat with the 
Indians. He removed to Maiden a few years afterwards ; 
and was Selectman in the town as early as 1651, and at 
other subsequent times. He was also several times appointed 
Commissioner by the Supreme Court, for ending small causes 
in Maiden. He was often Moderator of the town meetings. 
He was also a deacon of the church for at least twenty 
years. The following is the inscription on his tombstone, 
which is near the centre of the old church yard in Maiden : 

" Here lyes the body o( John Upham, aged 84 ; died Feb. 
25, 1681." 

Lieut. Phineas Upham. This gentleman was the son of 
John Upham. He was born about the year 1635. Though 
Maiden was always his residence, he was very active in the 
settlement cC the flourishing city of Worcester. He was a 
very active officer in the terrible Indian war, which ended in 
the death of King Philip. He conducted many scouting 
parties; and was severely wounded at the storming of the 
Narragansett fort called Canonicus, where the Indians were 
defeated with immense loss. After lingering some ten 
months from the effect of his wound, he died in 1676, at the 
age of 41 years. He was held in high respect as a citizen 
and a soldier. 

Deacon Phineas Upham was the oldest son of Lieut. 
Upham. He was for fifteen years a Selectman, also town 
treasurer, and representative in General Court, for 1705, 
1716, and 1718. He died in 1720, aged 62 years. This 
family has produced many worthies in church and state, who 
have added much honor to the name they bore. 

12 



170 

Phineas Upham, the Third. He was the eldest son of 
Deacon Phineas Upham, and was born at Maiden, probably 
in 1683. He was early married, as appears by the record : 
" Phineas Upham and Tamzen Hill were joined in marriage, 
ye 23d of November, 1703, by Mr. Wi'gglesworth." He 
soon after removed from Maiden Centre to North Maiden, of 
which he was one of the first settlers. He was, for six years, 
a Selectman of the town. He had twelve children, of whom 
the most noted were Timothy and Jabez. He died in 1676, 
having lived among his townsmen in great esteem. 

Dr. Jabez Upham, son of Phineas and Tamzen Upham, 
was born in Maiden, January 3, 1707. He was bred to the 
medical profession, and practiced it with great distinction 
at Brookfield, in this State ; which place he represented in 
the General Court, among whose members he held a promi- 
nent position. He died November 4, 1760, at the age of 
forty-four. 

Rev. Timothy Upham, grandson of Phineas, and son of 
Timothy Upham, was born in Maiden, February 20, 1748. 
He graduated at Cambridge in 1768. He studied theology 
with Rev. Mr. Trask of Brentwood, N. H. He settled at 
Deerfield in that State in 1772, being the first minister ever 
settled there. He died in that place, February 21, 1811, 
after a ministry of 40 years, at the age of 63. His mind 
was perfectly balanced, his judgment excellent, and his 
temper, though naturally quick, was under perfect control. 
Distinguished for the rectitude of his character, for quiet 
dignity, and constant self-possession, he won the admiration 
of his people ; while his hospitality and benevolence, ex- 
tending to the very verge of his means, awakened their love 
and esteem. His professional duties were, to him, a source 
of constant pleasure, and were performed with the great- 
est assiduity. 

William Brackenbury, said to have belonged to a very 
aristocratic English family. He was one of the first Select- 
men of the town, and a very prominent citizen. His wife 
Alice died in 1670, aged 70. His grandson Samuel was a 
physician in this town. It has been said that this name is 



171 

extinct among us ; but as names often undergo strange muta- 
tions in the lapse of time, there is reason to believe that this 
has been changed into Bradbury. 

Rev. Samuel Wigglesworth, son of the Maiden patri- 
arch, was born in 1688 ; and graduated at Harvard College in 
1707. He first turned his attention to the study and practice 
of physic, for which purpose he settled at the " Hamlet 
Parish" in Ipswich, March 1, 1710. The December follow- 
ing, he relinquished his business, returned to Maiden, took a 
school, and began the study of theology. On the 27th of 
October, 1714, he was ordained the first minister at the above 
named Hamlet Parish, now Hamilton. Besides attending to 
the public and private duties of the sacred office, he still culti- 
vated his first profession ; and, like his father, was useful in 
prescribing for the maladies of the body, as well as of the 
soul. He died September 3, 1768, in the 54th year of his 
ministry, and the 80th of his age. 

Professor Edward Wigglesworth, D. D., son of Rev. 
Michael Wigglesworth and Sybil his wife, was born at Mai- 
den, near the beginning of 1693. He graduated at Harvard 
College in 1710. He was sometime usher of a Grammar 
School at Boston, and left it with a view to settle in the min- 
istry. He took a chamber at College, lived there, and 
preached occasionally, till June 28, 1781, when he was 
elected the first Hollis Professor of Divinity, being thirty 
years of age ; and was inaugurated, October 24, 1722. This 
office he held, in high repute for piety and learning, upwards 
of forty years. He was a Fellow of the Corporation of the 
University, and received the Degree of Doctor of Divinity 
from the University of Edinburgh, in 1730. His first wife, 
whom he married June 15, 1726, was Sarah Leverett, daugh- 
ter of Hon. John Leverett, President of Harvard University. 
She died the following year. On the 1 1th of September, 
Professor Wigglesworth was married to Rebecca, eldest daugh- 
ter of Dea. Joseph Coolidge of Cambridge. Dr. Wiggles- 
worth died January, 1765, and was succeeded in his profes- 
sorship by his only son, Edward Wigglesworth, D. D. We 
find the following exalted character of the first " Hollisian 
Professor," in " a Sketch of Eminent Men in New England," 



172 

sent by the celebrated Dr. Charles Chauncey, to President 
Styles : " He is highly deserving of being remembered with 
honor, not only on account of his character as a man of 
learning, piety, usefulness in his day, strength of mind, 
largeness of understanding, and an extraordinary talent at 
reasoning with clearness and the most nervous cogency ; but 
on account also of his catholic spirit and conduct, notwith- 
standing great temptations to the contrary. He was one of 
the most candid men you ever saw ; far removed from big- 
otry, no ways rigid in his attachment to any scheme, yet 
steady in his own principles, but at the same time charitable 
to others, though they widely differed from him. He was, in 
one word, a truly great and excellent man." 

Eleven of the name of Wigglesworth, and many other of 
the descendants of the Maiden patriarch, have graduated at 
Harvard College. 

Rev. Joseph Emerson, son of the Rev. Pastor of Maiden, 
was born October 25, 1724. Having declined a call to settle 
in the South precinct of Maiden, he was ordained at Pep- 
perell, February 25, 1747, where he died, October 29, 1775, 
aged 52 years. 

Rev. William Emerson, brother of the above, was born 
May 21, 1743, and was settled as pastor of the First Church 
in Concord, January 1, 1766, where he died October 20, 
1796, aged 34. He was a direct descendant of Rev. Messrs. 
Peter and Edward Bulkley, father and son, two of his prede- 
cessors at Concord. He was the father of Rev. William 
Emerson, the highly popular pastor of the First Church in 
Boston. On the year of his death he went, August 16th, 
with his people's consent, to accompany the American army 
to Ticonderoga, as their chaplain. In consequence of sick- 
ness, on the advice of his physician, he resigned that office 
September 18th ; and on his way home, growing more ill, lie 
stopped at the house of Rev. Mr. Roots of Rutland, Vt., 
where he died of a bilious fever, after a month's languishing. 
His remains lie buried at Rutland ; but a monument was 
erected to his memory on the burial hill at Concord, in 1826, 
at the expense of the town. 



173 

Rev. John Emerson, another brother of the above, was 
born at Maiden, November 20, 1745. He graduated at Har- 
vard College in 1764. He was settled at Conway, Mass., 
where he was greatly respected, and died, July, 1826, at the 
age of 81. 

Rev. Samuel Dexter, was born at Maiden, October 23, 
1700. He joined the church at this place at the age of 20 ; 
and soon after, in 1720, graduated at Harvard University. 
He was engaged in teaching school for two years in Taunton, 
Lynn, and Maiden. After declining several calls, particu- 
larly two from the church in Medford, he was ordained over 
the First Church in Dedham, May 6, 1724. Soon after, he 
married Catharine Mears, of Roxbury, who long survived 
him, and died in 1797, at the age of 95. They had seven 
sons and four daughters. One of his sons was the Hon. 
Samuel Dexter, Senior, father of the late Hon. Samuel Dex- 
ter. He died January 29, 1755, in the 55th year of his age, 
and the 31st of his ministry, having enjoyed the general con- 
fidence and respect of his people and the public. 

Aaron Dexter, M. D., son of Richard Dexter, was burn 
at Maiden, November, 1750. He graduated at Harvard Col- 
lege in 1776. He studied medicine with Dr. Samuel Dan- 
forth at Boston. He made several voyages to Europe as a 
medical officer. In one of these voyages he was taken pris- 
oner by the British. Toward the close of the Revolutionary 
war he established himself as a physician in Boston, and 
became much distinguished in his profession. He was elected 
Erving Professor of Chemistry and Materia Medica, in the 
Medical Department of Harvard College, in 1783. This office 
he retained until his death, which occurred at Cambridge, 
rather from old age than any apparent disease, February 28, 
1829, at the age of 79, universally respected as a physician 
and citizen. 

Dr. Thomas Green, a native of Maiden, was one of the 
first settlers of Leicester, where he had his first lodging in 
the cave of a rock. He was a self-taught physician, and 
became respected in his profession. 



174 

Rev. Roland Green. He was the son of James Green, 
an uncle of Rev. Aaron Green, formerly minister of this 
town. James Green lived on the place now occupied by 
Daniel A. Perkins. Roland Green graduated at Harvard 
College in 1758. He was settled as the second minister of 
Mansfield, Mass., in which office he continued 37 years. He 
died suddenly on the 4th July, 1808, at Norton, where he had 
gone to attend the celebration of the day. " He was a 
worthy man and good minister. He lived in much peace and 
harmony with his people ; and was held by them very de- 
servedly in high esteem." 

Rev. Jacob Green, a native of Maiden, was settled as a 
minister of the Presbyterian Church in Hanover, N. J., where 
he spent about 40 years, and was held in great estimation. He 
was the father of Ashbel Green, D. D., LL. D., President of 
Nassau Hall, and long famous in the controversies of the Pres- 
byterian Church. 

Ezra Green, M. D. He was born in Maiden, June 17, 
O. S., 1747, graduated at Cambridge in 1763, studied medi- 
cine with Dr. Sprague of Maiden, and commenced the prac- 
tice of his profession at Dover, N. H, about 1769. Immedi- 
ately after the battle of Bunker's Hill, he joined the Ameri- 
can army as a surgeon, and for several years during the Rev- 
olutionary war, lie served in that capacity, both on the land 
and on the sea. He resigned Ids commission in the navy in 
the autumn of 1781 ; and returning to Dover, relinquished 
the practice of his profession, and engaged in commercial 
pursuits. Here he spent a useful and honored life. In 1790 
he was chosen deacon of the First Congregational Church in 
Dover, which office he held for many years. When more 
than 80 years old, he took an active part in the formation of 
the First Unitarian Society in Dover. He was a member of 
the New Hampshire State Convention which adopted the 
Constitution of the United States. The prominent feature in 
his character was a moral independence and integrity, that 
led him to do and say what he thought right, and then meet 
the event with a calm and undisturbed mind. Having served 
in the New Hampshire regiment from June, 1775, to the last 



175 

of December, 1776, he, in October, 1777, enlisted on board 
the Ranger, of 18 guns, of which the celebrated Chevalier 
Paul Jones was commander. While in this post, he did not 
hesitate to tell his commander, that " he regarded the descent 
made upon the Earl of Selkirk's property as a piratical ex- 
pedition." Dr. Green died at Dover, July 25, 1847, aged 101 
years and 27 daj's. He died in the full possession of his 
faculties, laaving an honored name and memory. 

Rev. Nathan Buckman, was born in Maiden, in 1704, 
graduated at Harvard College in 1721, and was settled at Med- 
way, the second pastor there, December 29, 1724. He died 
February 6, 1795. He sustained the pastoral relation to the 
church more than 70 years, a period that has rarely furnished 
a parallel in our country. He delayed giving an answer to 
the society who called him, for several months, because he 
was a minor. He died in the 92d year of his age, and 71st 
of his ministry. 

Rev. Samuel Shute, D. D., was born at Maiden, July 19, 
1722; graduated at Harvard College 1743. He was or- 
dained pastor of the Second Church in Hingham, December 
10, 1746. In consequence of the failure of his sight, Mr. 
Whitney was ordained his colleague, January 1, 1800. Un- 
der the infirmities of age he was serene and patient. He 
died August 30, 1802, aged 80. He was a member of the 
Convention which formed the Constitution of the United 
States. He preached the Artillery Election Sermon in 1767, 
and the Election Sermon in 1768. He was extensively 
known and respected as a divine of great strength of mind, 
and high attainments. 

John Wayte, Esq., was very prominent among the first 
settlers of the town. He was Representive from Maiden to 
the General Court from 1666 to 1684 ; and in the last named 
year was Speaker of the House. He served many years, 
also, as one of the Selectmen. 

Ebenezer Harnden. This gentleman, we learn from 
our town records and other sources, was a citizen of exten- 
sive influence in the town ; and filled several public offices 



176 

at different periods of his life. He represented the town in 
the General Court for a number of years ; and was a Rep- 
resentative when Maiden sent forth the spirited Resolutions 
of 1775, recorded elsewhere in this book. Captain Harnden, 
as he was usually called, died in 1786. 

Capt. John Dexter was Town Clerk several years ; and 
was appointed a Delegate to the Provincial. Congress at Con- 
cord, together with Captain Harnden. He is said to have 
been an active and efficient man during the Revolutionary 
war. 

Capt. Benjamin Blaney commanded the company of 
Militia from this town at the battle of Lexington. His father 
was a magistrate of some note, and was found dead in the 
road when returning from the discharge of his duty in 1751. 
Capt. Blaney was prompt in duty, and persevering in effort. 
He removed from the town in the latter part of his life. 

Capt. Isaac Smith was, for many years, a Representative 
of this town, and is said to have been a very influential mem- 
ber of the General Court. He came up from very humble 
life, having been taken from the Alms-house in Boston when 
a boy, and was during most of his earlier years at sea. But 
he acquired and sustained as a citizen an enviable and untar- 
nished reputation. He lived at first in the north, and after- 
wards in the south, part of the town, and died in 1795. At 
the time of his death he is said to have been the wealthiest 
man then in the town. 

Dr. Jonathan Porter was a physician of this place for 
many years. He was originally a shoemaker; but desiring 
to pursue the study of medicine, he gave very close attention 
thereto, and became in time, somewhat distinguished in his 
profession. He was in practice here as early as 1763. He 
kept a public house in the days of the Revolution, to which 
quite a number of the wounded were conveyed from Bunker 
Hill on the day of the engagement there. This house, bear- 
ing in recent days the name of the " Porter House," was 
taken down in 1844. It stood on what is now called Salem 
street, on the spot where Mr. William Wait's house stands. 



177 

Dr. John Sprague was another physician of this town, 
who practiced here about thirty years. He was a surgeon's 
mate during the first eighteen months of the war. After- 
wards he entered on board a privateer, and was captured and 
carried to Ireland. He was a son of Phineas Sprague, and 
died in 1803. Dr. Sprague was a man of ardent passions, 
and a noted wag withal. He was not remarkably select in 
his language. As a physician, he was altogether self-made, 
except, as it was jocularly said, that he used, in his early 
days, " to have the care of old Dr. Tufts' horse at Medford." 
But be that as it may, it is certain that he won from his 
patients much of that " confidence," which is said to be a 
" plant of slow growth." In one respect, he was a model 
to all gentlemen of the medical profession ; — if he know not 
what ailed you, or what would help you, he would frankly 
tell you so, and advise you to have recourse to some other 
physician. 

Phineas Sprague, father of the gentleman just named, 
was a resident of the north part of Maiden. He was a very 
zealous advocate of American rights at the time of our Rev- 
olution. Wright, in his Historical Dicourse,* says of him : 
" He was quite advanced in life at the breaking out of the 
war ; but was one of the individuals connected with Capt. 
Hatch's company, mentioned as starting for Congord in the 
night, after having lain at Beacham's Point during the day. 
Mr. Sprague was very deaf; but his heart was as imper- 
vious to fear as his ears were to sound. And when the rest 
of his party were flying from the view of the enemy, he was 
seen upon a piece of rising ground swinging his hat, and 
shouting victory ! He died in 1805. 

Ezra Sargeant, Esq., was a respected and very influential 
person in Maiden ; frequently holding some of the most im- 
portant town offices, and being much relied on for his good 
counsel in relation to public affairs. He died in 1810, at the 
advanced age of 81. 

Bernard Green, Esq., was another of the principal men 
of the town. He was born in Maiden in 1752 ; was in the 

* An Historical Discourse delivered at Maiden, Mass, on the day of 
the Annual Thanksgiving, December 1, 1831, by S. Osgood Wright. 



178 

army of the Revolution during a portion of the war ; was in 
service on the 19th of April and 17th of June, 1775, and in 
the battle of White Plains, October 28, 1776. He served the 
town for many years in various offices of honor and respon- 
sibility, represented it in the Legislature, and was a Justice of 
the Peace in active practice for about thirty years. He died 
July 15, 1834, aged 82 years. Esquire Green was a living 
chronicle of his times ; and many of the traditionary matters 
on these pages were derived from his exact memory, and his 
vigorous conversational powers. His frame was towering, 
and his mind was of collossal mould. Take him every way, 
and he was one of the tallest kind of men. Maiden people 
need not be informed, that he was the honored father of our 
Bi-centennial Orator. 

William Barrett, Esq., though not a native of Maiden, 
was for many years one of the most distinguished citizens of 
the place ; and probably did more while he lived to advance 
its business interests, than any other individual ever resident 
here. Mr. Barrett was bom in Concord, Mass., and in early 
life went to Billerica, as an apprentice to a clothier. Before 
he became of age, he purchased his time of his master, and 
also the business stand, securing the services of his master 
there. He succeeded in his new experiment; and having 
calls made upon him for dyeing silks, as well as other cloths, he 
determined to supply these calls, and did so, by an agreement 
with a dyer in Charlestown with whom he was acquainted. 
Subsequently he went into copartnership with the Charles- 
town dyer, Mr. Thompson ; and in a few years purchased the 
establishment, and carried on business there, until about 1804, 
v.hen he came to Maiden and set up his dyeing works. He 
was prosperous, as he had little or no competition, and found 
his business increasing. In the winter of 1816, his first dye- 
house, including his dwelling-house, a wooden building, was 
burned to the ground. In no wise disheartened, by noon the 
next day after this disaster, Mr. Barrett had a temporary 
building erected for his workmen, and his work going on ; 
and soon after, by the assistance of friends, erected the large 
and substantial brick building so long and so extensively known 
as the Maiden Dye House, a correct representation of which 
is given on another page. This stand is now occupied by his 



180 

sons. Mr. Barrett was one of the most enterprising of men. 
Obstacles which might seem to others most formidable, only 
served to excite him to action ; and we might say, were an 
indication to him of his victory over them. He was an ex- 
ample of what may be done by the right ambition, and indus- 
try, and perseverance in the business of life. He was 
prompt in his business affairs, benevolent in his prosperity, 
a friend to those in need, and was ready to engage in any 
movement having the general good in view He died Novem- 
ber 15, 1834, aged 59. 

Rev. Thomas Cushing Thacher was a son of Rev. Pe- 
ter Thacher, D. D., and a native of Maiden. He graduated 
at Harvard College in 1790, and was ordained pastor of the 
First Church at Lynn in 1794, where he preached nineteen 
years. He then removed to Cambridge, where he mostly 
resided till the time of his death, which took place a few 
months after the Bi-Centennial celebration at Maiden. On 
that occasion he purposed to deliver the following address, 
but was prevented by his infirmities. As it seems too appro- 
priate to be lost, it is here inserted. 

" Mr. President : I know not how to respond to the cour- 
teous invitation that has been extended to me to address an 
assembly like this. Long unaccustomed to public speaking, 
I am here, — an old man among the oldest of you all, — here 
on the very spot of my birth, — among the scenes of my 
childhood. And the memories of seventy years gone by 
come over me, and unfit me to express what 1 feel, and what 
I would say. These hills and valleys, — the natural features 
of the fair country around us, remain as when I saw them 
first. But how changed has every thing else become, during 
these three score years and ten. Wonderful as an Arabian 
tale are the progress and improvements that God, in his prov- 
idence, has permitted me to witness. It was but as yesterday 
that I beheld this landscape with its thinly scattered farm 
houses and hamlets There was Charlestown with its five 
hundred houses ; and Boston, in the distance, with a popula- 
tion no larger than Cambridge contains to-day. I now behold 
this same area crowded with cities and villages, the abodes 
of an ever-swelling population, and adorned with all the 



181 

means, and arts, and refinements of life. There seems to 
rise again before me that ancient, weather-beaten church, the 
place of my earlier worship, and where my venerated father 
taught and prayed ; ' Pointed the road to heaven, and led the 
way. 1 Some of my ancient friends may remember that old 
meeting-house. It was one of the plainest and strictest of its 
sect. It looked the old puritan all over. It had no tower nor 
belfry. Its little bell was hung outside on a beam projecting 
from the gable end of the building. Close by, stood the old 
school house, with its enormous fireplace andrude benches, 
where I learned my rudiments, under the excellent Madam 
Sprague, * if I mistake not, the very mention of whose 
name excites a peculiar sensibility, for she had full faith in 
Solomon's system of discipline. I can assure you, Mr. Presi- 
dent, that the afflictions of my childhood were neither ' few 
nor far between.' But, Mr. President, while I rejoice in the 
great and signal progress that has marked the three fourths 
of a century in which I have lived, other thoughts oppress 
me. 

' Our fathers, where are they ? ' 

Where is the generation to which I belonged ? The garden 
of the dead has, in its growth, kept pace with the garden of 
life. From our fathers we received the inheritance of this 
beautiful country, and that more glorious inheritance of vir- 
tuous principles and noble examples ; and happy will it be if 
this generation shall transmit a similar legacy to those that 
shall succeed. Allow me to offer the following sentiment, 
appropriate to the time and the occasion : 
" The memory of the Fathers of Maiden." 

Mr. Thacher wrote many good sermons, and published six 
occasional discourses ; A Sermon on the Annual Thanks- 
giving, 1794 : A Sermon on the Interment of Eight Sea- 
men, 1795; A Eulogy on the Death of Washington, 1800; 
A Sermon on the Death of Mrs. Ann Cames, 1800 ; A Ma- 

* The manuscript here shows that the venerable writer was quite un- 
certain even as to the sex of this early disciplinarian, which would seem 
to argue that the castigations of which he speaks so feelingly ought not 
to have left so profound an impression on his memory. The individual 
to whom he refers was, undoubtedly, " good old master Nathaniel Jen- 
kins,'' of corrective memory. 



182 

sonic Address delivered at Cambridge ; A Sermon on the 
Death of Mr. Shory and wife, 1803. The discourse on the 
interment of eight seamen, was delivered under circumstan- 
ces deserving of recital. In a great storm on the night of the 
ninth of December, 1795, the Scottish brig Peggy was 
wrecked near the southern end of Lynn beach. Of the 
twelve men on board, only Hugh Cameron, of Greenock, 
Scotland, escaped. The bodies of eight of the drowned men 
were recovered ; and on the 11th of December, were placed, 
in their coffins, in the aisle of the First Parish meeting-house, 
with Cameron seated in a chair in the midst of them. Mr. 
Thacher preached a very affecting sermon from Job 1 : 19, 
" And I only am escaped alone." 



183 



MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS. 



EDUCATIONAL. 



1691. The first entry on the town books in reference to 
this subject, is left incomplete, and is as follows : " Ezekiel 
Jenkins continuing to be the Tovvne's scoule master." This 
misspelled term may be the less inappropriate, as it proba- 
bly well describes the frowning brow of the antiquated 
pedagogue. 

1693. March 3. " John Sprague Jun'r scool- master." 
1697. March 8. " John Moulton chose scoole-master." 
1699. March 27. "John Sprague chose scool-mastar." 
For this orthography the school-master himself is responsi- 
ble, as he was town Clerk at the time. — August 24. " John 
Sprague chose scoolmaistar for this present yeer, or for one 
yeer. jt is left to ye selectmen to agree with him what he 
shall have for his jncurigement to keep scool for one yeer." 

1701. At the Quarter Sessions Court, in Charlestown, 
Dec. 26, Maiden was indicted " for want of a schoolmaster 
for writing and reading." 

1702. March 4. " John Sprague Is chose scool -marstar 
for ye yeer jnsuing To learn Children and youth to Reed and 
wright and to Refmetick acording to his best Skill. And he 
js to have ten pounds paid him by ye town for his pains. The 
scool js to be free for all ye Inhabitants of this town: and 
to be kept at foure severall places at foure severall times one 
quartar of a yeer jn a place: In such places whar those 
five men shall apoint, namly : Leut Henery Green, Leut 
John Line, Lemuell Jenkins, Tho Oakes And Nathaniell Up- 
ham : who are chose by ye town for yt purpose." 

1703. March 1. " Votted that ye scool shall be kep jn 
ye watch-hous for this yeere." Those who think that the 
old times are better than the present, may be rather dismayed 



184 

to find the town at this date provided with a watch-house, 
whereas the town in 1850 refused to provide this badge of 
civilization. It may be retorted, however, that there was no 
use for that old watch-house, except for the purposes of a 
school-room. Doubtless the youngsters of that day regarded 
it as truly a house of detention and correction. — March 8. 
" By a vote Ezeckiell Jenkms js chose scool-mastar for this 
present yeer : and the scoole to be kept at his one hous. he 
js to have 3 pounds for ye yeer : and ye benifit of ye scol- 
Iars." This "benefit of the scholars" does not refer so 
much to the benefit they were to derive from the instructions 
of their teacher, as to the pecuniary advantage to be derived 
by him from their tuition money, in addition to his three pounds 
salary. 

1704. Ezekiel Jenkins this year gets but thirty shillings, 
and the benefit of scholars. 

1705. Sept. 5. " Nath Waite chose scool-master." He 
was to have twenty shillings and the " benefit of the scho- 
lars." He probably declined to serve on these terms ; for 
we find Maiden again indicted at the Quarter Sessions for. 
want of a school teacher. 

1706. March 8. Nath. Waite chosen school-master again. 
At the next town meeting, May 24, this same Waite was 
" improved as a moderator." It was doubtless thought, that 
he who could achieve the feat of keeping the boys in order, 
could doubtless accomplish the same task with those of ma- 
ture r years. 

1707. Nathaniel Waite was again chosen school-master. 

1708. May 11. John Sprague was chosen school-master, 
but declined serving, because the town refused to allow him 
8 pounds salary ; and so Nath. Waite is again chosen, and 
gets two pounds fifteen shillings and the " benefit of the 
scholars." 

1709. April 27. " Jacob Wilson chose scool-mastar for 
ye yeer ensuing to lam children To Reed and to wright and 
Refmetick — and he is to have two shillings paid him by ye 
town : and he is to have ye benefit of ye scoolars." 

1710. June 5. "Moses Hill is chose scool-mastar for ye 
yeer insuing and he exepts and will sarve for ye benefit of 
ye scoolars." Moses Hill probably " exepted " in a different 
sense from what the Clerk intended by the word so ambigu- 



185 

ously spelled ; for we find the town again presented at the 
Quarter Sessions, July 3d, for not maintaining a Grammar 
School, and excused for the present, with an order to " provide 
themselves of a good, able, sufficient school-master to teach 
their children to write and read." It is interesting to ob- 
serve this vigilance of the constituted authorities in enforcing 
the rules of our common school system, the early blessing 
and lasting glory of our Commonwealth. — July 12. "Voted 
yt ye scool shall be Removed into three parts of ye Town. 
The first half yeer in ye center — and one quarter in ye 
southwardly end And one quarter in ye nothardly end of 
ye Town." — July 14. Thomas Pols of Boston was chosen 
schoolmaster. — Sept. 9. John Sprague was chosen to that 
office. — Dec. 6. The town succeeded in obtaining Mr. Sam- 
uel Wigglesworth, from Ipswich, to teach for six months. — - 
Dec. 11. It was voted that his school should be kept four 
months in Mr. Parsons's house, which was the parsonage, in 
which the schoolmaster himself was born, and where he 
doubtless boarded with the minister for the sake of theologi- 
cal instruction. The other two months, he was to teach in 
some house at the north part of the town. — Dec. 12. A re- 
turn was made to the Quarter Sessions from the selectmen, 
with a sample of the penmanship of l\!r. Wigglesworth, 
which was acceptable to the Court. "The Court liking his 
hand do approve of it." 

1711. January 1. Mr. Wigglesworth began his six 
months' instruction, for which he was to receive 16 pounds 
ten shillings. — Nov. 20. Samuel Wigglesworth was re- 
chosen schoolmaster for six months, and to receive 16 
pounds for his wages. A vote was also passed, that there be 
a school-house built between John Wilson's house and the 
pound. This is the first mention on the records, in any way, 
of a separate building for educational purposes. 

17P2. March 7. " Voted yt ye school-hous shall be bult 
20 foots in lengte 16 foots wide 6 foots stud betwen joints." 
The town also voted thirty-five pounds to pay for the erec- 
tion. We here give the original contract for the erection of 
the house : 

"Artecles of agrement made and Concluded between ye 
Select men of Maldon and William Green of ye sd town 

13 



186 

carpender Referring two ye bulding of a school-house for ye 
sd Town of Maldon ye dementions and conditions are as 
foloeth : 

11 Viz : That ye sd William Green doath Covenant and 
agree with ye sd Select men to Buld ahous to keep school in 
for ye town of Maldon ye dementions are as foloeth ; viz; 
Twenty foots in Lenght and sixteen foots in bredth six foots 
between joynts and Buld a Chimne in sd hous nere seven 
foots between ye gams and Lay a harth in sd Chimne and 
cover sd hous tite with Boords Rough and Sides — and Shin- 
gel ye Rough of sd hous and two Lay one flower and two 
make it with crooked beams Riseing two foots at ye Lest for 
ye Roufe 4 beems, and Ribed upon sd beems as may be suf- 
fistient and Brick ye wals to ye plaets and make two win- 
dores one on ye South and ye other on ye Est and make ye 
dower of plain Boords. Sd house being Studed about 3 foots 
asunder and two find all for sd house so fer as has bin 
mentioned and two set it wher ye towne shall agree and to 
under pin said house. And ye above sd select men dou 
promis and agree in behalf of ye Town of maldon to pay or 
case to be paid unto ye above sd William Green 19 pounds 
for ye above said woork and where with all to do ye same as 
foloeth ; 5 pounds and twelve shillings in Boords and ye Re- 
mainder in money as ye woork shall go forward. And sd 
woork to be don forthwith, by ye 20 of Aprill next ye woork 
is to be competed, as ye seson will alowe all which Artikels 
and agrements to be performed by booth partys in Wittness 
whare of thay have here unto set thare hands this 27 day of 
October 1712 and in ye elevent yere of her Aiajest's Reign 
Queen Anne. 

William Green, 

Henry Green, ^ 
Tho.Newhall, ^ Se]ectmen< „ 

Samll Sprague, 
John Green, 

1713. Francis Foxcroft is schoolmaster for six months, 
with a stipend of 15 pounds. — March 16. tl Voted that ye 
school-house shall be improved [!] for a wach hous when 
ther js an occasion and nott To disoblige ye school jn sd 
hous at aney time." 



187 

1714. The Selectmen present the name of Thomas Ver- 
non at the Quarter Sessions, and his hand-writing was ex- 
hibited to the acceptance of the Court. 

1715. Jan. 17. It was voted that the school should be 
kept " al John Green's house in the woods," for the months 
of March and April. — Nov. 30. John Bishop to be school- 
master for six months, beginning Dec. 19, and to receive a 
stipend of 18 pounds. — Dec. 13. A manuscript of Bishop 
was presented to the Quarter Sessions Court, and accepted. 

1717. Nov. 8. Twenty pounds were raised to pay Mr. 
Daniel Putnam for teaching school six months. — Dec. 6. 
Voted to employ him three months longer. — July 25. Rich- 
ard Dana is appointed to teach for one quarter "sartain," 
and to receive 10 pounds 10 shillings for his " sarvice." 

1719. Aug. 25. At the Quarter Sessions at Concord, 
Maiden was presented for want of a Grammar School, and 
ordered to obtain a school-master. — Dec. 8. The Selectmen 
report to the same Court at Charlestown, that they are using 
all means to get a suitable person ; and are ordered to perse- 
vere in their endeavor. 

1720. March 8. After this long interval, the Selectmen 
report that they have with great difficulty obtained Mr. Jo- 
siah Marshall to be their Grammar School-master for a quar- 
ter of a year ; and they are ordered to be diligent in getting 
him, or some other, as the law directs. — June 14. The Se- 
lectmen report to the Quarter Sessions at Cambridge, that 
two neighboring ministers recommend said Josiah Marshall 
as a competent person, and the Court dismiss the case. 

1723. June 17. Mr. Nathan Bucknam is engaged to 
keep the school twelve months, and is to receive 44 pounds. — 
Nov. 15. The school had been kept at the Center from the 
last date to this, making five months. From this date to 
March 1, being three and a half months, it is to be kept at 
the south part of the town ; and the rest of the year, being 
another three months and a half, it is to be kept at the north 
part of the town. 

1726. John Emerson, a brother of the pastor, is school- 
master. 

1730. The town appropriated 60 pounds for the wages of 
their school-master. — iNov. 27. The "old school-house" is 
donated to Thomas Degressha, a very poor man. 



1732. June 6. John Sprague was appointed to teach the 
school six months for 30 pounds. 

1733. Jan. 24. John Sprague re-engaged six months on 
the same terms. 

1737. May 23. Voted, that the school he kept half the 
time on the south, and half on the north, side of the brook, 
then called Pemberton's Brook, in such places as could be 
obtained. 

1751. March 18. Nathaniel Jenkins is chosen to serve 
as school-master for six months, at a stipend of 16 pounds 
lawful money. He retained this office for forty years, until 
he acquired the well-earned title of "good old Master Jen- 
kins." His original occupation was that of a shoemaker. 
But the guardians of the town, who had evidently been em- 
barrassed for a long time in their endeavors to procure a 
suitable teacher, thought they discerned in him some of the 
necessary qualifications. After some hesitation, which was 
removed in part by the fact that his health was inadequate 
for his mechanical calling, he acquiesced in their proposal. 
To prepare himself for his new vocation, he, for want of a 
Normal School, put himself under the instruction of the Rev. 
Mr. Emerson for about twelve months. Having by this time 
obtained some knowledge of the languages, and the appro- 
bation of several clergymen, he entered with zeal upon his 
duties as an instructor of youth. He is represented as a 
pious man and an excellent teacher, though in his practice 
the rod was not a mere symbol of authority. It had a use, 
as well as a meaning. 

Without pursuing this part of our subject any further, we 
will make a transition to the state of our educational interests 
at the present time. The town is now divided into five school 
districts. Of these, the North district has three flourishing 
schools ; but their new and handsome school-house, from the 
rapid growth of the flourishing village of Melrose, has al- 
ready become inadequate to their wants. The Centre dis- 
trict has four schools, kept in the new edifice, which, for the 
beauty of its exterior, and the convenience of its internal ar- 
rangements, is a model of its kind, and the pride of the cen- 
tre village. The East district contains one large school, for 
whose accommodation, their house, but recently erected on 
an enlarged scale, has already become insufficient. The 



189 

South district contains a single school ; and the South-west 
two schools, well accommodated in a neat and convenient 
structure. All these eleven schools, at the present time, are 
in active and prosperous operation through the year. The 
last annual appropriation of the town for school expenses was 
$3500. From all this it may be safely argued, that the 
shadow on the dial of intelligence has not gone back in old 
Maiden. 



ECCLESIASTICAL. 

1680. December 27. It was voted in regard to Mr. 
Cheever, one of Mr. Wigglesworth's colleagues, u that in case 
said Mr. Cheever shall die here, and leave his widow here, 
that then his said widow shall have 80 pounds paid her within 
two years next after his decease ; the one half part thereof 
in money, and the other part thereof in common pay." 
Though the contingencies on which this vote was conditioned 
did not occur, its adoption was highly honorable to the liberal- 
ity of this then poor and feeble community. Mr Cheever's 
ministry began February 14th, 1679 ; and it appears that his 
" full sallere, being fifty pounds in mony," was regularly and 
promptly paid during his continuance in office. Small as 
this sum may seem, it was a fair allowance for those times, 
when money was so much more valuable, and the manner of 
living so much less expensive than now. 

1682. December 4. " Voted in Town Meeting that all 
ye cutters and carts in ye Town cult and cart one load of 
fire-wood for Mr. Wigglesworth on ye next second day." 
This vote is evidence enough, if any were warning, that the 
town still regarded Mr. Wigglesworth as retaining his pastoral 
relation, although Mr. Cheever was at this time performing 
the active duties of the ministry. 

1691. March 12. "Voted that ye town will allow Mr. 
Wigglesworth 55 pounds a yeer, yeerly In money And ye 
use of ye parsoaag and a suficant suply of fire-wood so Long 
as He carrieth on ye work of ye ministrey. Ye yeere be- 
gineth ye 12 of March 1691." It was also voted that he 
have thirty cords laid at his own door for this present year. 
This " suply " seems to have been hardly " suficant; " for 
within a year or two, it was increased to thirty-five cords. 



190 

Either the winters in those days were much more rigorous 
than now, or the people were nervously anxious to rid the 
lands of their primeval forest growth. 

1696. We give here a whimsical receipt entered on the 
town book itself, premising that Mr. Wigglesworth is respon- 
sible only for the signature and waxen seal affixed, the body 
of the document, with its uncouth spelling, being by another 
hand : 

" These lines are to let all men understand That I, Michael 
Wigglesworth of Maiden, doe Herby discharg And acquit the 
Town of Maiden from all claimes that may be made heerafter 
by my self my haires executors Administrators or a signes 
upon the acount of aney Salary debt or dues to me for the 
work of ye ministery from the begining of The world un- 
till the 12 of March 1694-5. In witness of ye primeses, I 
have hereunto set my hand and seall this 28 of March 
1695-6. Michael Wigglesworth." [l.s.] 

1698. March 13. The town voted to afford Mr. Wig- 
glesworth " sum help four or five Sabbath days in ye work 
of ye ministry." 

1707. March 28. A salary was voted by the town to 
u Mr. Peeter Thachar," the same as to Mr. Wigglesworth. — 
Oct. 3. The town finds itself still indebted to Mrs. Wiggles- 
worth <£12 Is and 7d, on arrears of her husband's salary. 

1708. The salary of Mr. David Parsons was fi.xed at 60 
pounds, with twenty cords of fire-wood, and the use of par- 
sonage house and lands. 

1720. June 14. Maiden was presented to the Quarter 
Sessions at Cambridge, for "neglect to fulfil and perform 
their contract and agreement with their settled and ordained 
minister, Mr. Parsons." His complaint, prosecuted by a com- 
mittee of the church, and defended by a committee of the 
town, was sustained by a verdict of the jury. Judgment was 
respited to the next session, and a Committee of Justices ap- 
pointed ad interim to visit Maiden, make strict inquiry, and 
report to the next court how far thev fina the town failing in 
not performing their contract. The committee is to notify 
the Selectmen of Maiden of the time and place of meeting. — 
July 11. The Committee of Justices reported that they find 



191 

the Parsonage housing and fences something considerably 
out of repair; but that the Selectmen promised with all con- 
venient speed to repair the same. It was ordered that the 
Selectmen pay a fine of 10 pounds to the King, unless they 
shingle the barn, and repair the house and fences by the sec- 
ond Tuesday of August next. The Selectmen are to make 
report of their doings, and to pay the usual costs and fees. 
Aug. 30. The Selectmen report to the Court at Concord, 
that they have complied with the order, and made the appoint- 
ed repairs ; and so the case is dismissed. 

1721. July 3. A salary was voted to Mr. Emerson of 
100 pounds, " in such money as shall pass from time to time 
between man and man.' 1 Mr. E. was also to have the use of 
the Parsonage housing and homestead, and the privilege of 
cutting all his firewood and fencing stuff from the town's 
wood-lot. He received 60 pounds as a " settlement " the 
first year. The town likewise engaged to put the Parsonage 
housing and fencing in good repair; and also to keep the 
outside of the house in repair except the glass windows. And 
if the " Charlestown neighbors" are set off io Maiden, he is 
to have the " stranger's money," or loose cash, thrown into 
the collector's box. — Aug. 10. The town voted to sell cer- 
tain small lots of common land to defray the extra charges 
of Mr. E's settlement. 

1723. March 8. By a receipt of Mr. Emerson, it ap- 
pears that £16 2s Id of his hundred pounds salary was paid 
in " loose money," or that which was freely contributed. 

1724. In the Diary of Rev. Joseph Emerson, we find the 
following entries: "Aug. 1. Last night, about 10 or 11 
o'clock, our house and a great part of our substance was con- 
sumed by fire. The Lord help us suitably to lay to heart 
this awful providence ! The Lord affect our hearts with his 
great goodness in sparing our lives ! We have been as brands 
plucked out of the burning." — Aug. 9. Mr. Emerson again 
writes in his Diary : " I preached all clay from the latter 
end of the first chapter of Job. There was a public contri- 
bution of the town for us. Many were very kind and boun- 
tiful to us. The Lord reward them ! It is God that both 
enables and disposes our benefactors to minister to our neces- 
sity." — Aug. 7. The town voted, in less than a week after 
the fire, to re-build the Parsonage on the old site. The fol- 



192 

lowing record gives us the dimensions of the house : "The 
said hous shall be beult 38 foots In Length ; And 19 foot 
wide ; and 16 foot studs ; and A Leanto on the back side, of 
12 foot wide; And ye principls of ye Lento shall Run up 
To ye Top of ye hous." Two hundred pounds were at 
first raised to pay for the house. Of this =£92 9s 9d was as- 
sessed on the inhabitants of the Centre of the town ; ct'57 3s 
on the inhabitants of the North part, £49 19s 2d on the in- 
habitants of the South part. This distribution seems to indi- 
cate the comparative resources of the different parts of the 
town at that time. The bills for the " ministry house,'" when 
it was completed, amounted to <£335 11s5d; being about 
the same as such a house would cost at this day. The frame 
of this house, the rest of it having long since been pretty 
much renovated, is still standing, and is now occupied by 
George H. Wilson, Esq., who purchased the premises of the 
First Parish in 1845. — Nov. 13. The town added 50 pounds 
to Mr. Emerson's salary. 

1728. January 5. " Voted that ye town will sell ye 
Town's farm at worster or shrusberry if they gitt Liberty of 
ye Generall Court for ye selling the same." Capt. Samuel 
Wayt, Lieut. Samuel Green, and Jonathan Sargent were ap- 
pointed a committee to prefer a petition to the General Court 
for the purpose above mentioned. 

1736. May 17. The town allowed Mr. Emerson to en- 
close and improve the old meeting-house lot which is exactly 
described, showing it to have been where tradition has as- 
signed it ; and also that the land on the west of it was parson- 
age land. — Dec. 13. The Iiev. Joseph Emerson signs upon 
the town's book a release of his right to the rents from the 
town's grant at Worcester and Shrewsbury. In this instru- 
ment he says : " I heartily rejoice, for the town's sake, in 
the late smiles of Providence, that have attended the prudent 
and faithful endeavors of those gentlemen who have been in- 
strumental in recovering said farm." It seems by the records 
that the thousand acres granted by the General Court in 1662 
to the town of Maiden for the support of the ministry, had 
been encroached upon by " squatters," whom the town was 
obliged to eject by a suit brought by a committee appointed 
for that purpose. 

1743. March 7. " Vot that the old pound shall be im- 
proved to repair the parsonage fence." 



193 

By the old record it appears, that, at various times the 
town was violently agitated by disputes in reference to the 
settlement of ministers. The elections were frequent, and 
sometimes sharply contested. In one instance the clissentions 
arose to such a height, and wrought the town into a state so 
distracted and helpless, that the government was obliged to 
interpose for the restoration of order and quiet. Yet strange 
to say, neither tradition, nor the records so copious on the 
subject, afford the slightest intimation as to the grounds of 
the difficulty, and the nature of the questions which agitated 
the town. 

CHURCH OFFICERS. 

The records of the church, so far as extant, date back no 
farther than 1770. It is, therefore, impossible to recover a 
list of the church officers, except as they are mentioned in 
other connections. John Upham, an original settler, in a will 
dated 1659, is spoken of as " Deacon Upham of Maiden," 
and was probably one of the first who held that office in this 
town, lie died in 1681, having been deacon of the church 
for at least twenty years. Deacon John Green is recorded 
by that title among the Selectmen in 1685. He died in 1707. 
Deacon John Greenland was Town Clerk in 1693, in which 
office he served for 27 years, at least. He was, for ten 
years, Representative in the General Court, and also served 
the town as Selectman, and in other capacities. Phineas 
Upham, grandson of John Upham, was deacon in 1710, and 
died in 17*30. Deacon Joseph Rite [Wright] is mentioned in a 
record of appraisement of a stray horse under date of April, 
1707. Deacon John Dexter is recorded as Moderator of a 
town meeting in 1722. A deacon Nicols is recorded in like 
manner in 1724. Deacon Joseph Green is recorded as Mod- 
erator of a town meeting in 1726. Thomas Lynde and John 
Shute were chosen deacons, May 3, 1734 ; with the remark 
of their pastor, — " both suitable and worthy men." Deacon 
Lynde died Jan. 15, 1748. Deacon John Dexter, the 2d, died 
in 1770. At the latter part of the last century, the following per- 
sons held that office, though the order of their succession is not 
ascertained : Deacons Joseph Perkins, Nathan Shute, Ezra 
Sargent, John Ramsdell, Nathan Holden. All these held of- 
fice in the First Church. The following persons are also men- 



194 

tioned by the same titles in the records : Dea. Jonathan Bar- 
rett, who was Moderator of the town meeting in 1739, and a 
score of times afterwards ; Dea. James Hovey, who was Se- 
lectman in 1740, and at various other times ; Dea. Joses 
Bucknam, who was Selectman in 1743, and at other times; 
Dea. Mudge, who is named under date of 1759. We also 
find Ruling Elder Upharn on the Committee for the school in 
1740 ; also Ruling Elder Sargent under date of 1747. These 
six last named probably belonged to the South Precinct. 

MEETING-HOUSE AND APPENDAGES. 

17C2. April 1. The town voted to enlarge the meeting- 
house fourteen or sixteen feet on the South side, and to re- 
move the pulpit to the West side, and to make other repairs. 
The expense was to be defrayed by a free contribution. 
April 14. " Voted yat ye meting hous Shall be cutt in two 
neer ye midle and carry off one end twenty-four foots; and 
close both parts again with a new building by a free contri- 
bution." It was afterwards determined, on account of the 
inconvenience occasioned by the extreme heat in summer, 
that the pulpit should stand on the North side of the house, 
rather than the West. 

1704. " Colanal paig " gave six pounds toward the en- 
largement of the meeting-house. Mrs. Wigglesworth, who 
appears to have been a lady of property, gave two pounds 
as a " freewill offering " for the same purpose. 

1713. March 16. The town votes liberty to six men to 
build a gallery for their own use, " between the two great 
beams over the front gallery." 

1714. March 17. The town voted to set up galleries, 
containing two seats each, over the other galleries, and to 
erect the necessary stairs. John Griffin of Charlestown is to 
have twenty-five pounds for doing the work and furnishing 
the materials. Notwithstanding its enlargement, the place of 
worship was still so small, that the occupants were obliged to 
make use of every corner above and below, wherever they 
could possibly perch themselves. 

1730. It will be recollected that this book elsewhere gives 
an account of the erection of a new house of worship, which 
occasioned a division of the town into two parishes. In the 



195 

contentions which grew out of this business, the Southern 
party prevailed in the town meeting, so far as to secure a 
majority for erecting the new house in the same lot with the 
old structure, and between it and the Bell Rock. The Build- 
ing Committee was constituted with full powers, the contract 
was made, the foundations of the new house were actually 
laid on the spot designated, and most of the materials were 
collected there, when the patriarchal power of the Great and 
General Court interposed with a paternal mandamus, and the 
materials were removed, and the new house was erected 
and finished by the contractor on the spot where the Brick 
Meeting House now stands. So great was the dissatisfaction 
of the Building Committee and the town, with this arbitrary 
interference of the civil authority, that they refused to pay 
the contractor, Aaron Cleaveland, of Charlestown, the sum 
stipulated for his compensation. Upon this, he brought his 
suit against the town, and obtained judgment and costs. Here- 
upon the town voted, August 7, to pay him, and to occupy 
the new house of worship. On the 21st of December, Aaron 
Cleaveland receipted for 882 pounds, the amount of judgment 
and costs obtained by him against the Building Committee. 
The sum paid, in the Federal currency, would amount to 
about $3000. More than a year after, we find that the Build- 
ing Committee were obliged, by the sullen temper of the 
town, to sue in their turn for the 882 pounds paid by them to 
Aaron Cleaveland, and for 49 pounds expenses incurred in 
the prosecution of their suits. The town settled with them 
by agents appointed for that purpose; and on the 3d of 
March, 1732, the Building Committee sign a release to the 
town of Maiden, of "all manner of actions, sutes, causes, 
and causes of actions, bills, bonds, wrigtings, obligations, 
acounts, Debts, dues, Reckonings, sum, and sums of money, 
controverses, Judgments, executions, claims, and demands 
whatsoever, from the beginning of the world to the date 
hereof." 

1730. Nov. 27. The town refused to have any preaching 
in the old meeting-house this winter ; and also voted to sell 
it for the most it would bring. It was subsequently sold for 
50 pounds, and the money paid to Rev. Joseph Emerson for 
a half year's salary. 

The house, as has already been stated, was originally 



196 

seated with slips. The right of occupancy of seats was set- 
tled by a committee, appointed to assign his place to each 
person in town. From time to time, however, the privilege 
was granted to individuals of distinction, to erect pews for 
their private use. The first grant of the kind is recorded in 
the following terms, under date of March 14, 1692: 

" Voted at the same time, that corronall page have liberty 
to build a pue, and it is left to the Selectmen to order it ; and 
in case corronall page leave the seat, it shall returne to the 
tovvne." January 28, 1695, it was " Voted that collonall paige 
hes Liberty to remove his pewe into That corner of ye meet- 
ing-hous by ye little dore." " Voted deken Green and John 
Greenland are goe and Treat with Collonall paige in order to 
ye Removing of his pew." Nov. 5, 1703, it was voted " yt 
Collonall paig's pew shall be finished up jn ye place whare 
jt stands ye wholl length of ye platform ; exepting about one 
foott shortned at yt end next ye dore." In 1717, it is voted, 
Dec. 6, that Capt. Nathaniel Oliver shall have a grant of the 
pew of Col. Paige deceased. 

In 1703, on the 5th of November, Samuel Sprague, Jr., 
John Dexter, and John Sprague, Jr., had liberty to construct 
one pew for the convenience of themselves and their wives, 
so long as they continue to be inhabitants of the town. Lib- 
erty was also given to Samuel Waitt, John Tufts, and Joseph 
Sargeant, to construct another pew on the same conditions. 
In 1708, April 2, Deacon Greenland has liberty to build a 
pew. It was voted at that time, " That if james Baret will 
make up the twenty aight shillings, which the town is in detted 
to him for worke at the meting house, forty shillings, then he 
shall have as conveneant seat in the meting hous as his na- 
beras have.'' — May 11. John Green Sen'r, Samuel Wayt, 
and John Lind have liberty to build pews. 

Among other necessary appendages of an old-fashioned 
meeting-house in New England were the horse-blocks and 
stables. The first notice we find of these in Maiden, is un- 
der date of Dec. 9, 1698 ; it was voted " that Tryall Nubry, 
Simon Grovar, Samuell Bucknam, william pain, james Bar- 
rit, and John Greenland, hath the priveleg of a peece of land 
of 24 foots long and 9 foots wide, from ye South west corner 
of ye parsonag garding westwardly along by ye stone wall, 
Granted them by a town vote, for to set a stable to shelter 



197 

their horses on the Sabath dajs." This grant allowed but 
four feet for the width of each stable, which is to be account- 
ed for by the facts that from the state of the roads then and 
long after, and from the limited means of the people, chaises 
and other riding carriages were not in use. The good man 
rode to meeting on his farm horse, with his good wife gravely 
seated on a pillion behind him. Next year the privilege of 
sheds was granted to Dea. John Green, Samuel Sprague, Jr., 
Jonathan Howard, Isaac Wilkenson, Mr. Switchar, [Sweet- 
ser,] John Sprague, Sen'r, Samuel Sprague, Sen'r, and 
Samuel Swetcher. March 5, 1711, seventeen men are priv- 
ileged to have stables on the town's land near the meeting- 
house, not exceeding " three foots and half jn breadth for on 
hors." March 7, 1712, nine men are in like manner permit- 
ted to erect stables for two horses each, not exceeding three 
feet in breadth for each horse. 

The use of church bells was not general in New England 
during the seventeenth century, the inhabitants being usually 
summoned to public worship by the roll of the drum or the 
blast of the conch shell. To this rule old Maiden was an ex- 
ception ; for we find that the town in 1682 was indebted to 
Philip Atwood, 2 pounds 11 shillings and 3 pence for ringing 
the bell. On the 30th of August, 1684, the town was put to 
the enormous charge of 2 shillings and 4 pence " expenses 
about the bell taking downe and hanging up." March 21, 
1693, the town voted that the bell should be hanged on the 
top of the meeting-house. Nov. 20, 1694, it was voted 
" that Isaac Wilkespn shall have Two acres of land in the 
common neere his house for bulding ye Tarrat one ye met- 
ing hous and ye laddar, And ye said Wilkeson hath exepted." 
The house having been standing about half a century, the 
old turret upon it was probably now somewhat decayed, so 
that a new one was needed. The ladder here spoken of was 
doubtless for ascending to the bell in the turret. May 8, 
1695, it was " voted that the town will alowe Samuell Stoures 
aighteen shillings with what he hath had all Ready for the 
finesing of the teret and hanging the bell." March 1, 1731, 
it was voted to hang the town's bell in the new meeting-house. 
It was probably suspended from a beam projecting from the 
gable end of the meeting-house, as described by Kev. T. C. 
Thacher. The tradition relative to the hanging of the bell 



198 

in a campanile on the " Bell Rock," so called, doubtless re- 
fers to a period earlier than 1693. 

In 1690, Thomas Dunnel was appointed to ring the bell, 
and sweep the meeting-house ; for which he was to receive 
one pound fifteen shillings by the year. On March 10th of 
that year, Philip Atwood received a balance of seven pounds 
due to him for the same service. From time to time the sal- 
ary of the sexton was increased, till by the middle of the last 
century it amounted to about five pounds per annum. 

POPULATION. 

The early population of the town was doubtless small and 
much scattered over its territory. In May, 1695, the town 
made a division of two thousand three hundred acres of com- 
mon lands, distributed by lot to all the freeholders in the 
town, in proportion to their rateable estates The following 
is a complete list of their names, to the number of eighty, 
including the estates or families of some who were deceased : 



Ezekill Jcnkens, Darkes Sayle, Isack Hill, 

To the estat of Capt. John Willcoson, Estat of Joseph Wayt, 

Wayt, desesed, Jonathen Howard, desesed, 
Henry Swillaway, Thomas Ncwhall, Estat of Richard Prat, 
John Sargent, Jr. James Chadweck, desesed. 
Colonall Paige, Tryall Newbery, Jonathan Sprnguc, 
Samuel Green, Jr. Estate of Phinas Obadiah Jen kens, 
Jonathan Knower, Sprague, desesed, Estat of Abraham Skin- 
Jacob Winstead, John Sargent, Sen'r, er. desesed, 
Hcncry Green, John lands, Abraham Hill, 
Elizabeth Linds, Isack Willcoson, NathaneH Upham, 
Edward Sprague, Left Joseph Willson, NathaneH Nickels, 
John Dexter, and estat John Green, Ebeuezer Hills, 

of John Dexter, de- House of John Pember- Simon Grover, 

scsed, ton, desesed, Thomas Okes, 

John Upham, Joseph Lnmson, Lemeuell Jcnkens, 

John Mudg, Phinas Upham, Capt William Green, 
John Sprague, Estate of Jacob Parker, John Bunker, 

Clark Samuell Sprague, desesed. Estat of Thomas Green, 

Pettcr Tufts, John Foizdick, desesed. 

Estat of Samuell How- Mr Laine, Samuell Green, Sen'r, 

ard, desesed, John Greenland, Phinas Sprague, 
Jtobart Galley, Gcrsham Hills, NathaneH Evens. 
Capt John Floyd, James Nickels. Jr and Widow Mar-hall, and 
Lent Samuell Sprague, estate of James Nick- estate of Kdward Mar- 
Widow Buckman, els, desesed, shall, desesed, 



199 



Mr Shnte, 
Samuell Sprague, 
Phillip Atwood, 
Mr Wigglesworth, 



Thomas Burden, 
Joseph Hasey, 
Lazerus Grover, 
Joseph Linds, 



Bcniamen Whitamore, 
Capt John Green, 
Joseph Floyd, 
Sargt Thomas Skiner, 



Sixty-four yoars later, an invoice was taken, and a single 
rate made, by the Assessors, upon the inhabitants of Maiden, 
in the year 1759. The following is the list of the names: 

William Oliver, 
John Oliver, 
Jonathan Oakes, 
Widow Debby Oakes, 
Uriah Oakes, 
John Pain, 
Stephen Pain, 
Stephen Pain, Jr. 
Joseph Pain, 
Ebenezer Pratt, 
Nathaniel Pain, 
Jacob Parker, 
David Parker, 
William I'ell. 
Rebecca Pratt, 
Daniel Pratt, 
Widow Eliza Pratt, 
Caleb Pratt, 
Doctor Ii:ind, 
Ichabod Richardson, 
Widow Richardson, 
David Sargent, 
Samuel Sweetser, 
Stephen Sweetser, 
Benjamin Sprague, 
Phineas Sargent, 
Thomas Sargent, 
Amos Slower, 
Joseph Sargent, 
John Sargent, 
Jabez Sargent, 
Ezra Sargent, 
Silas Sargent, 
John Shute, 
Richard .Shute, 
Amos Shute, 
John Smith, 
Jacob Shute, 
Robert Temple, 



Solomon Townscnd, 
Widow Mary Wheeler, 
Daniel Whittcmore, 
Daniel Whittcmore, Jr. 
Isaac Wayte, 
Thomas Wayte, 
John Winslow, 
John Wayte, 
Samuel Watts, Esq. 
Joseph Whittemore, 
Timothy Wright, 
Timothy Wayte, Jr. 
Titus Freeman, 
Widow Sarah Baldwin, 
Samuel Baldwin, 
Benjamin Bueknam, 
James Barrett, Jr. 
Ebenezer Barrett, 
Deacon Joses Bueknam 
Wid. Phebe Bueknam, 
Aaron Bueknam, 
Moses Bueknam,' 
John Bueknam, 
John Burditt, 
Widow Mary Burditt, 
Jabez Burditt, 
Zaccheus Banks, 
Nehemiah Blancy, 
Benjamin Blaney, 
John Bcchem, 
James Bueknam, 
Edward Bueknam, 
Edward Bueknam, Jr. 
John Batchelder, 
Joseph Burditt, 
Dea. Joseph Caswell, 
Moses Codings, 
Unite Cocks, 
Nathaniel Cousns, 



Thomas Cutler, 
Richard Dexter. 
Widow Sarah Dexter, 
Nathan Dexter, 
Ebenezer Doe, 
Peter Edes, 
Edward Fuller, 
Benjamin Falkner, 
Benjamin Falkner, Jr. 
Christopher Forbis, 
Darius Green, 
Ezra Green, 
James Green, 
Simon Grover, 
John Green, 
William Gill, 
Capt Jonathan Green, 
Jno. Green of Stoneham, 
.Abraham Gould, 
Jacob Green, 
David Gould, 
David Gould, Jr. 
Benjamin Hills, 
Thomas Hills, 
John Hutchinson, 
Dea. James Hovey, 
Capt Peter Hays, 
Peter Hays, Jr. 
James Hays, Jr. 
Anthony Hadley, 
John Gary, 
Obadiah Jenkins, 
Thomas Knower, 
Jonathan Knower, 
Daniel Knower, 
Widow Mary Knower, 
Widow Phebe Knower, 
Joseph Knight, 
John Nichols. 



It is remarked by old Thomas Fuller, who flourished in 
the time of Charles I. and the Commonwealth, that the most 



200 

common name in his day was Metcalf. This name long since 
seems lo have yielded the palm to the numerous progeny of 
the celebrated John Smith, one of whose lineal descendants 
is enumerated in the above list. The name occurring most 
frequently in this list is Bucknam, of whom there were nine. 
It is believed that there is now but a single voter of this name 
among us. The name which stands next highest in number 
is that of Sargeant, of whom there were eight, and the town 
still numbers twelve voters of that name. Of the Waytes, 
there were but four in 1759 ; and now there are thirty-five 
voters, who, when united, must hold the balance of power! 
The name of Tufts, strange to say, which is one of the oldest 
in town, does not appear upon the above list; but at this time 
numbers eighteen among those who have access to the ballot 
box. The same remark must be made of the absence of the 
name Lynde, several of whom were, notwithstanding, hold- 
ing town offices at the time this " invoice " was made. There 
are still thirteen voters of that name. There must have been 
Newhalls here, also ; though their name is not registered in 
this tax list. Of these, we have now thirteen voters. Of 
Pratts, there are thirteen voters, though this name does not 
flourish among us as in the neighboring town of Chelsea. 
The Greens and Coxes now number twelve voters each. 
Those names, Paine, Knovvcr, and Burditt, once numerous 
among us, have disappeared from the place. The above list 
indicates a great increase of population since 1695, notwith- 
standing the omission of many individuals who are known to 
have been here at the time. 



TAXATION. 

The principal entries in the old book of town records re- 
late to the assessment of taxes. In 1696, the poll tax on 
males was 12 pence ; oxen and horses were rated at 3 pence 
per head ; cows at 2£ pence ; three-year olds at 2 pence ; 
two-year-olds at 1 penny ; yearlings at £ penny per head ; 
plough-land and meadow were reckoned at 1 penny per 
acre ; pasture land at £ penny per acre ; sheep at 4 pounds 
per score ; swine at £ penny per head. The tax on sheep, 
according to this statement, seems to be so enormous, in pro- 
portion to other stock, as to amount almost to a prohibition ; 



201 

still, they were very numerous here, and probably paid their 
way, owing to the greater need and value of wool in those 
times. 

In 1721, by votes passed May 15th, it appears that it had 
been usual to abate one half the minister's rate from those 
who lived at the north part of the town, some of whom found 
it more convenient to worship at Reading. This abatement 
was now refused. 

1751. Three shillings and eleven pence was abated by 
the town to Samuel Wayde " that he was rated for his negro's 
head in the province rate." 

SUBSISTENCE. 

In the old times, it appears, that the rate of wages was 
much much lower, or rather the value of money was much 
higher than now. 

1695. By votes passed January 28th, it was ordered, that 
a number of the principal men, for helping to carry a Sur- 
veyor's chain, were to have two and twenty pence per diem. 
This was probably the usual rate of day's wages at that time. 
The person who should board the Surveyor, Mr. Fiske, was 
to have 4 shillings per week ; and whoso entertained his 
horse was to have 1 shilling and 6 pence per week. These 
prices would not seem to be very encouraging to man or 
beast. 

1706. March 8th. The town voted, " yt Mrs. Wiggles- 
worth shall have alovved her 4 shiling pr weeke for her en- 
tertaining ye ministars since Mr. Wigglesworth decesd, whioh 
is thirty weeks." 

1708. May 11th. The town allows Isaac Hill 2 shillings 
9 pence for keeping the ministers over the Sabbath. 

1711. Under date of December 7th, we find the auto- 
graph signature of the Rev. David Parsons, the town's min- 
ister, to a release executed in open town meeting, of his claim 
to twenty cords of wood annually ; and the town vote him 
eight pounds instead. . From this it would appear that wood 
was valued at that time at 8 shillings per cord. 

1733. " An acount of sundery nesecaries provided for 
Bethiah Wilkison by The Select men of maiden, april The 
9th day, 1733. To one pair of tow Sheats £1 10s. To one 

14 



202 

pair of Shoos 12s. To one apron, and handcercheif, 9s 6d. 
To a Pettycoat and makeing, 15s. To two caps and makeing, 
6s. To two cotten and lining Shifts £1 10s 3d. The afore- 
said cloathing purchesed by the five pounds money which in- 
sign Joseph Iynds paid for the yous of the town of maiden 
when chosen constable, excepting 2 shillings and 9 penc worth 
of said things entered by order of the Select men." March 2. 
The town paid 12 pounds for 43^ pounds of powder. 

PAUPERISM. 

In earlier days, there was for a long time so little pauper- 
ism with our ancestors, that there was no settled system for 
meeting it; the town simply voting from time to time, such 
small grams of supplies as occasion required ; as in the above 
case of Bethiah VVilkison. An honorable feeling on ihe part 
of the town seems to have inclined it to appropriate the fines 
paid by ensign Lynde to the use of the poor, rather than to 
the general expenses of the town. 

The first allusion on record to any one who had become a 
town charge, is the following, under date 1682 : u ToGoodm 
Cully for Hows roome for George Felt and his wife, 10 shil- 
lings." Similar appropriations were afterwards made at dif- 
ferent times, for the benefit of " ould Felt and his wife." 

In 1693, James Nichols, a son-in-law, received 45 shillings 
for keeping " old goodvvif Felt." 

" ye 4 of feb, 97. On a Thanksgiving day was £\ 3s 8d 
money Gathared by a free contrebusion And committed jnto 
ye hands of ye Toun Tresuerer Edward Sprague, or his 
Sucksesor ; and to be disposed of by order from ye Select- 
men for ye use. of The poore of This town, date ye 12 of 
feburary, 1697." 

It appears by Mr. Emerson's diary, that, in his time, it was 
customary to take up public collections for the poor on the 
public days of Fasting or Thanksgiving. Two such contri- 
butions were taken up especially for " Nat Nycholes." 

1725. June 3. VVatertown sued Maiden for a female 
child left privately at the door of Henry Mills of VVatertown ; 
but supposed to have been born at the house of James Milli- 
ner, of Maiden. Aug. 13. "Att A publelick Toun meat- 
ing," it appears that the court threw the poor foundling upon 



203 

Maiden, and the town agreed to bear the past charges, and J. 
Milliner agreed to bear the future charges. And it was fur- 
ther agreed, that, if the child's relations shall pay Milliner 
any thing, he is to have one half, and the town the other. 

1746. January 14th. The town voted that Edward Wayte 
is to have John Ramsdell, son of Joseph Ramsdell, deceased, 
who was about five years old, till his coming of age, and 
Wayte is to have from the town 30 pounds old tenor in case 
of his obligating himself to teach John Ramsdell to " read, 
write, cypher, and make shoes ; " four elements of a good 
education. This poor boy became the excellent Deacon 
Ramsdell, of pious memory. A sister of John Ramsdell was 
given by the town with 40 pounds old tenor, to Ruth Pitman, 
of Lynn, to be brought up as her own. 

1755. February 7th. A mulatto child, lately laid at the 
door of Ann Welcome, is given to Joseph Barrett to be his 
slave ; together with =£52 10s old tenor, he quitting the town 
of all further charge on the child's account. 

1757. May 16th. " Vot that the town dos alow to An 
Welcome ten pounds, old tenor, to be laid out in repairing 
her shattered habitation, and that on the account of her nurs- 
ing a child eight weaks that was laid at the dore of her 
house." The Selectmen are directed, by the town to see to 
the laying out of this money. This Ann Welcome was a 
negress; and it is probable that from her shattered dwelling 
the locality now known as " Black Ann's Corner," takes its 
name. 

ROADS AND BRIDGES. 

On the subject of the earliest roads great obscurity rests. 
Some portions of them are still in use; but the greater part 
have long been abandoned for shorter cuts. There is an au- 
thentic tradition that the ride on horseback from Boston to 
Salem, through Maiden, was a good day's journey. Some 
part of this out-of-the-way road led by the residence of the 
late John Pratt. As we imagine our forefathers patiently 
trudging this sinuous track, we seem both literally and poet- 
ically to " see them on their winding way." 

The first record we find relating to the roads, is the fol- 
lowing, dated March 9, 1685 : " Voted at a public Towne 
meeting, that mister Wigelsworth have a hyway granted to 
his house from the towne's land." 



204 

1689. Nov. 29th. " maulden workt at mistak bridge with 
a cart and 4 oxen and 3 hands to gravell ye bridg." The 
maintaining of this bridge over the Mystic river in Medford, 
was for many a long year a source of trouble and litigation 
to this and other neighboring towns. Some years after, there 
was a formal treaty signed by commissioners on the part of 
Medford and Maiden, by which Medford, for a very small 
sum, relinquished all claim on Maiden to aid in supporting 
the Mystic Bridge. 

1701. Sept. 3d. In a report of a committee, reference 
is made to certain roads which they " find recorded jn ye 
first Town Book." * 

In 1709, that part of our present Cross street, formerly 
known as Peter Tuft's Lane, was laid out. The other part 
of Cross street, extending from Mr. John Parker's to the Sa- 
lem road, appears to have been of older date. 

1712. March 7th. The town voted 30 pounds for mend- 
ing the highways. This is the first entry on the books of any 
appropriation made for such a purpose. In 1730, the appro- 
priation for this purpose was raised to 100 pounds. 

What is now called Main street, was laid out as a county 
road in 1806. 

Maiden Bridge over the Mystic River, at the place former- 
ly known as " Penny Ferry," was built in 1788. It was fin- 
ished in six months, by the energy of Lemuel Cox, the con- 
tractor for this and for Charles River Bridge. Mr. Cox was 
a brother of Unite Cox, the ancestor of all of that name now 
living in Maiden. He was a celebrated architect and bridge- 
builder ; and was even sent for to Ireland, where he con- 
structed not less than nine important bridges to the highest 
satisfaction of his employers. The proprietors of Maiden 
and Charles River bridges voted him handsome gratuities, in 
addition to his stipulated pay. Maiden Bridge cost c£5300. 
The property was invested in one hundred and twenty shares. 
It is 2400 feet long, and 32 feet wide, having a convenient 
draw at the channel, which is 23 feet deep at high water. 

* This is the only allusion we have ever been able to find to the first 
volume of the town records which has long been lost. It is not uncom- 
mon to find our fathers severely blamed for their neglect in the matter 
of making records ; whereas, in many instances the fault rests rather ia 
those who came after them, and took no pains to preserve what had been 
transmitted from earlier days. 



205 

Within a few years the bridge has been substantially re-built, 
being mostly a solid causeway. The toll, also, has been re- 
duced, and at no distant period will be wholly removed. 

Chelsea Bridge was built in 1803, at a cost of $53,000, 
which was held in twenty-four hundred shares, half of which 
were the property of the Maiden Bridge Corporation. Chelsea 
Bridge reverts to the Commonwealth in twenty-three years 
from this time. 

TOWN LINES. 

1699. This year, and also once previously, a committee 
was appointed " to join with Boston men jn Runing ye line 
between boston and Maiden." In 1708, April 12th, a com- 
mittee was appointed to meet the " Boston gentlemen" to run 
and new mark the line between Boston and Maiden. In 1711, 
April 18th, the "Boston gentlemen" appointed to run the 
line between Boston and Maiden, are " Mr Tho. Cussian, 
[Cushing,] Mr Oliver Noice, Mr Joseph Wadsworth, Mr John 
Floyd, Mr William Hasey, and Samuel Breaden." " At A 
General Town meting jn maiden on ye second of June 1721, 
John pratt moderator, It was putt To vote to se wher This 
Toun will Joine with our Charlestown naightbours jn peti- 
tioning To ye Generall Court for Ther cuming off from 
Charlestown to be one Township with maiden acording To 
ye warrant. And ye vote passed on the Afirmative. And 
That js all yt dwell on ye north side of mistick River up To 
maiden line : and from boston line To medford line." Chelsea 
continued to be a part of Boston under the name of Rumney 
Marsh, until 1738, when it was incorporated by its present 
name. 

1723. Under date of March 25, we find the following 
record : " John Wilson, leut Samll Green and Joseph Green, 
who were apointed for maiden, mett with mr Thomas Jenner, 
Joseph Lemon, and John vinton of Charlestown, and Run ye 
line and Renewed ye hounds betwen Charlestown and maiden 
up to Reding." 

POLITICAL MATTETtS. 

This topic is so largely considered in Mr. Green's Cration, 
that it is not necessary for us to expatiate at any iength upon 
it here. 

14* 



20(3 

It is one duty of every good citizen to attend the annual 
town meeting for the choice of officers. This duty was en- 
forced by them of old time under penalty of a pecuniary 
mulct for neglecting it. "Att a Generall meeting of All ye 
Inhabitants," John Upham being moderator, it was voted, " yt 
the Select men levie ye fines According to law of Alexan- 
der Waite and Willm Leraby that were chosen Constables, 
and refused to serve ; unles they clear themselves by law, or 
compound wt you. 

" Voted, That ye Generall Towne Meeting for ye Choyce 
of ye Publique officers in the Towne, viz. Seltmen, Con- 
stables, seveiors [surveyors] &c, formerly stated on ye Last 
Second day [lust Monday] in the 10th mo., [December,] 
shall Henceforth be on the Second day of ye first month 
[March] from year to year. Any former order or Custom 
to ye contrary notwithstanding. And all persons concernd 
therin is to take notice therof without any particular warning, 
on penalty as formerly, viz : 18 pence to be paid by every 
person yt shall neglect to appeare at the afforsd time, to be 
levied by ye constables for ye use of ye towne." 

1686. May 19. " Paid to Mr. Lane for debutyes charges 
for the year 85, £1 14s 7d." The same year at another 
time there was paid him, for a like service, £2 5s 6d. The 
pay of the Representative in those days was derived from 
the town instead of the State. 

1690. Phineas Sprague received <£10 18s 7d as Repre- 
sentative's pay, being for 18 weeks and 2 days service, mak- 
ing an allowance of less than 2 shillings per diem. Those 
were times of republican simplicity and cheap legislation. 

1731. September 5. " Voat that ye Town will stand for 
there previlidges acording to ye charter." This was all the 
business transacted at that meeting. The resolution thus 
adopted, undoubtedly refers to a controversy between the 
Massachusetts colony and the Royal government, which dates 
back as far as 1719, and evinces that jealous guardianship of 
their rights, and that determined adherence to the principles 
of freedom which run through the whole of our early history. 
Under the new charter, the Governor of Massachusetts, who 
had formerly been elected by the colonists, was appointed by 
the crown. In order to attach this functionary to their inter- 
ests, the colonists refused to pay him a stated salary ; and 



207 

would only vote him annual gifts, in proportion to his popu- 
larity. To break up this system, the royal government gave 
peremptory orders, that the Governor should accept no gifts 
whatever, but insist on a stipulated salary. The wary colo- 
nists, viewing this as a stretch of arbitrary power, made the 
most determined resistance, leading to long and violent con- 
tentions between the Governor and his Council on the one 
part, and the Legislature on the other. On the arrival of 
Gov. Burnet, in 1728, this contest broke out with renewed 
violence, lasting for three years, and extending into Gov. Bel- 
cher's administration. A long series of vexatious proceedings, 
in which the Governor, to exhaust the patience of the Legis- 
lature, changed the place of their meeting from town to town, 
was at last terminated by the Governor's obtaining the per- 
mission of George II. to accept such grants as might be given 
by the Assembly. Thus the people gained their point, by 
their inflexible firmness in " standing for their privileges ac- 
cording to the charter." This was one of the first blows 
struck for colonial independence upon irresponsible power. 

1754. Aug. 19. In a public town meeting, " The ques- 
tion was put, whether the town apprehend the excise bill on 
spirotous liquors latly pased by both houses be an equitable 
bill, and beneficial to the provinc. And it past in the affirm- 
itive." By this, it would appear that the people then claimed 
the right, in their primary assemblies, of expressing their 
opinions on the equity and expediency of the acts of the 
Legislature. 

The political movements in reference to the independence 
of this country, in which the town of Maiden fully participat- 
ed, have been so largely set forth in Mr. Green's Oration, 
that we will only add the following noble and spirited doc- 
uments : 

At a meeting of the town, January 21, 1773, the following 
Letter was read and adopted : 

" To the Respectable Inhabitants of the Town of Boston : 

"It is with the utmost satisfaction and pleasure, that we 
have, from time to time, observed your solicitous care and 
prudent endeavors to suppress all appearances of tyranny 
and oppression, and to maintain the just rights and privileges 
of a distressed people. And particularly, of late, that you have 



208 

not been intimidated by tbe alarming reports tbat bave reach- 
ed our ears ; but as our fears and distresses increase, your 
zeal and resolution abound. We give you our bearty and 
sincere thanks, for all the salutary measures you have adopt- 
ed for the common safety. And we heartily wish and desire 
that every town in this Province, and through the land, may 
have such a sense of danger and of duty, as readily to lend 
a helping hand in this time of need. By the papers trans- 
mitted to you herewith, you will find that a Committee has 
been chosen by this town, to correspond with yours, on mat- 
ters of public concernment. We trust you will always find 
them and us ready to receive any information of this nature 
from you, and to join in such measures as may be thought 
best. And may the great Overruler and Disposer of all 
events, so direct and succeed your wise endeavors, as that 
the yoke of tyranny may be entirely broken, and New Eng- 
land yet enjoy her invaluable privileges inviolate to the latest 
generations. May all vice and immorality be suppressed, 
and piety and virtue reign triumphant. And may you in 
particular, the respectable Inhabitants of Boston, through the 
propitious smiles of Heaven, see the happy fruits of your 
unwearied diligence in the cause of liberty. May you al- 
ways be deemed among the early projectors and constant 
pursuers of those legal and constitutional methods which may 
establish our chartered rights on a basis durable as the foun- 
dations of the earth ; and may posterity yet unborn rise up 
and call you blessed ! " 

At a legal town meeting, on the 20th of September, 1774, 
the town appointed a Committee of seven, of which Rev. 
Peter Thacher was Chairman, to draw up instructions for 
their Representative to the General Court. At an adjourned 
meeting, September 23d, the Committee reported the follow- 
ing instructions, which were adopted by the town : 

" To Capt. Ebcnczcr Ilarnden : 

"Sir — The trust devolved by your fellow citizens upon 
you at this time, is the greatest and the most important which 
you could at any time receive. Our all now lies at stake ; 
and if the machination of the enemies to our public happiness 
should succeed, we would bid adieu to all those flattering 



209 

prospects we have hitherto indulged, of enjoying for our- 
selves, and transmitting to our posterity, the rights and liber- 
ties which our illustrious ancestors purchased at the greatest 
expense, and which they transmitted to us as an ample and 
fair Inheritance. 

"A subversion of the Charter of this Province, and the 
usurpation of seats around the Council-board by a number 
of men, whose ambition and avarice, (we are constrained to 
say,) have induced them to betray their Country, and stain 
their own names with indelible infamy, demand our most 
watchful attention at this day ; and it is upon these heads that 
we now especially instruct you. And, sir, we give it you 
in most solemn charge, as you would not act a part abhorrent 
to your Constituents, as you would not bring upon yourself 
the execrations of millions, that in no sense nor manner 
whatever, acknowledge these men as counsellors of this 
province, that you do not give them the smallest degree of 
countenance, but that you treat them with that contempt, in- 
dignation and abhorrence, which their unparalleled perfidy 
most justly deserves. We do not, we are persuaded, feel or 
express an undue resentment of these unhappy men ; but to 
see men acting such a part as they have acted, towards their 
native country, calls forth the highest indignation of every 
virtuous breast. 

" We also instruct you, if it shall be agreeable to the sen- 
timents of your respected fellow Senators, (in whose wisdom 
and integrity we have the highest confidence,) that you de- 
sire the members of the Constitutional Council of this prov- 
ince to resume their seats, to meet together and proceed to 
such acts of advice and authority as they shall deem meet, 
to which we promise to yield the same regard as though the 
hand of power had not driven them from their seats, or the 
mean, the contemptible wretches, we but now mentioned, had 
not usurped them. 

" We need not inform you of our firm, our deliberate reso- 
lution, rather to risque our lives and fortunes than to sub- 
mit to these unrighteous acts of the British Parliament 
which pretend to regulate the government of this province. 
Nor need we instruct you, in your legislative capacity, to 
make the utmost opposition to them. Had we not had the 
full confidence that you detested these acts of power and in- 



210 

justice, we should never have chosen you to represent us in 
the General Assembly. The people in the province are a 
free and a brave people ; and we are determined in the 
strength of our God, that we will, in spite of open force and 
private treachery, live and die as becomes the descendants of 
such ancestors as ours, who sacrificed their all, that they and 
their posterity might be free." 

" Instructions of the town of Maiden to their Representa- 
tive, Passed May 27th, 1776 : 

" Sir — A resolution of the late Honorable House of Rep- 
resentatives, calling upon the several towns in this Colony to 
express their minds, with respect to the important question 
of American Independence, is the occasion of our now in- 
structing you. 

" The time was, Sir, when we loved the King and the 
People of Great Britain, with an affection truly filial ; we felt 
ourselves interested in their g!ory, we shared in their joys 
and sorrows, we cheerfully poured the fruit of all our labors 
into the lap of our Mother Country, and without reluctance, 
expended our blood and our treasure in her cause. These 
were our sentiments towards Great Britain : while she con- 
tinued to act the part of a parent State, we felt ourselves hap- 
py in our connection with her, nor wished it to be dissolved. 
But our sentiments are altered. It is now the ardent wish of 
ourselves, that America may become Free and Independent 
States. A sense of unprovoked injuries will arouse the re- 
sentment of the most peaceful ; such injuries these Colonies 
have received from Britain. Unjustifiable claims have been 
made by the king and his minions, to tax us without our con- 
sent. These colonies have been prosecuted in a mnnner 
cruel and unjust to the highest degree, the frantic policy of 
Administration hath induced them to send Fleets and Armies 
to America, that by depriving us of our trade, and cutting 
the throats of our brethren, they might awe us into submis- 
sion, and erect a system of despotism which should so far 
enlarge the influence of the Crown, as to enable it to rivet 
their shackles upon the people of Great Britain. This was 
brought to a crisis upon the ever memorable nineteenth of 
April ; we remember the fatal day ; the expiring groans of 
our murdered countrymen yet vibrate on our ears ! ! We 



211 

now behold the flames of their peaceful dwellings ascending 
to heaven ; we hear their blood crying to us from the ground, 
Vengeance ! and charging us, as we value the peace of their 
manes, to have no further connection with a King, who can 
unfeelingly hear of the slaughter of his subjects and com- 
posedly sleep with their blood upon his soul. The manner 
in which the War has been prosecuted has confirmed us in 
these sentiments ; Piracy and Murder, robbery and breach of 
faith, have been conspicuous in the conduct of the King's 
Troops ; defenceless Towns have been attacked and destroy- 
ed, — the ruins of Charlestown, which are daily in our view, 
daily remind us of this. The cries of the Widow and the 
Orphan demand our attention ; they demand that the hand of 
pity should wipe the tears from their eyes ; and that the 
sword of their Country should avenge their own and our 
rights, and bring to condign punishment the elevated villains 
who have trampled upon the sacred rights of men, and af- 
fronted the majesty of the people. We hoped in vain. They 
have lost their love to Freedom, they have lost their spirit of 
just resentment. We therefore renounce with disdain our 
connection with the kingdom of Slaves; we bid a final adieu 
to Britain. Could an accommodation be now effected, we 
have reason to think that it would be fatal to the liberties of 
America, — we should soon catch the contagion of venality 
and dissipation, which has subjected Britain to lawless domi- 
nation : Were we placed in the situation we were in, in the 
year 1773 ; were the powers of appointing to office, and 
commanding the Militia, in the hands of Governors, our arts, 
trade, and manufactures would be cramped ; nay, more than 
this, the life of every man who has been active in the cause 
of his Country would be endangered. For these reasons, as 
well as many others which might be produced, we are con- 
firmed in the opinion, that the present age will be deficient 
in their duty to God, their posterity, and themselves, if they 
do not establish an American Republic This is the only 
form of government which we wish to see established ; for 
we can never willingly be subject to any other King, than 
He, who being possessed of infinite wisdom, goodness, and 
rectitude, is alone fit to possess unlimited power. 

" We have freely spoken our sentiments upon this impor- 
tant subject ; but we mean not to dictate. We have unbound- 



212 



ed confidence in the wisdom and uprightness of the Conti- 
nental Congress ; with pleasure we recollect that this affair 
is under their direction : — and we now instruct you, Sir, to 
give them the strongest assurance, that if they should declare 
America to be a Free and Independent Republic, your con- 
stituents will support and defend the measure to the Last 
Drop of their Blood and the Last Farthing of their 
Treasure." 

Through the instrumentality of Rev. Sylvanus Cobb, this 
stirring document has been presented in a lithographic print, 
which ought to have a place in every family in the town. 



TOWN OFFICERS. 



Under this head will be given the names of the Selectmen 
of Maiden from the earliest records extant, down to about the 
period of the Revolutionary struggle. 



Selectmen. 



William Brackenbury, 1658. 

John Wayte, 1658, 1678, 1679, 
1681. 1682, 1684, 1685. 

John Sprague, 1658, 1678, 1679, 
1681, 1682, 1684, 1685, 1686, 1687, 
168S, 1689, 1690, 1691, 1692, 1694. 

Thomas Green, Sen., 1658. 

John Green, 1678, 1679, 1682, 
1683, 1684, 1685, 1686,1687, 1688, 
1689, 1690, 1691, 1692, 1693, 1695, 
1698, 1699, 1700, 1701, 1712. 

William Green, 1678, 1683, 1702. 

Thomas Lynde, 1678, 1684, 1685, 

1687, 1688. 

Phineas Sprague, 1679, 1682, 

1688, 1589. 1690. 
Samuel Howard, 1679. 

Samuel Sprague, 1681. 1686, 1688. 
John Sargent, 1681, 1689, 1696. 

1697, 1698, 1699. 

John Greenland, 1681, 1685, 
1691, 1693, 1694,1695, 16'96, 1697, 

1698, 1700, 1703, 1704, 1705, 1708, 
1710, 1711, 1713, 1715, 1718, 1719, 
1720. 

Henry Green, 1682, 1684, 1686, 
1687, 1690, 1695, 1700, 1701, 1707, 
1708, 1709, 1712, 1714. 



Job Laine, 1683, 1686, 1687. 

John Green of the hill, 1683, 
1692, 1693, 1695, 1698, 1707. 

Joses Bucknam, 1683, 1690, 
1691. 

Isak Hill, 1689, 1692, 1693, 1694, 

1702, 1706. 

Jacob Parker, 1691. 

Phineas Upham, 1692, 1693, 
1694, 1696, 1697, 1699, 1701, 1703, 
1704, 1705, 1708, 1709, 1716, 1717. 

Joseph Wilson, 1694, 1696, 1699, 
1706. 

Samuel Green, Sen., 1695. 

John Lynds, 1695, 1700, 1703, 
1704, 1708. 

Benjamin Whittemore, 1696, 
1697. 

Edward Sprague, 1697, 1699, 

1703, 1704, 1710, 1715. 
Ebenezer Hills, 1698. 
Jonathan Sprague, 1699, 1721. 
Joseph Lamson, 1699. 
Samuel Sprague, Jr., 1699, 1702, 

1712, 1713, 1716. 1717, 1721, 1724. 

Thomas Newhall, 1700, 1701, 
1702, 1712. 

Tryall Newbury, 1700. 



213 



Joseph Lynds, 1701, 1716, 1717, 
1721. 

Nathaniel Upham, 1702, 1705, 
1713, 1714. 

Samuel Waitte, 1703, 1704. 

Samuel Bucknam, 1705, 1706, 
1707. 1710, 1711, .1712, 1732. 

John Wilson, 1705, 1707, 1709, 
1710. 1711, 1713, 1714, 1718, 1719, 
1720, 1722, 1723,1724, 1725, 1726, 
1732, 1733, 1734, 1735. 

Isaac Wilkenson, 1706. 

Thomas Okes, 1706, 1711, 1714. 

Samuel Green, 1701. 

Nat Wait, 1707. 

John Pratt, 1709, 1716, 1717. 

John Dexter, 1709, 1710, 1716, 
1717, 1721. 

Jacob Wilson, 1711, 1712. 

William Sargent, 1713, 1714, 
1715, 1718, 1719, 1720, 1722, 1723, 
1724. 

Jonathan Sargent, 1718, 1719, 
1720. 

Daniel Floyd, 1718, 1719, 1720, 
1722, 1723. 

Phineas Sprague, 1721. 

John Green, Jr.. 1722, 1723. 

Joseph Green, 1722, 1723, 1724, 
1725, 1726, 1731. 

Benjamin Hills, 1724, 1725, 
1726. 

Jonathan Barrett, 1725, 1726, 
1731, 1736, 1737, 1738, 1739, 1740, 

1744. 

Phinehas Upham, 1725, 1726, 
1728, 1729,1730, 1750. 

Joses Bucknam, Esq., 1728, 1729, 
1730, 1743, 1744, 1745, 1750, 1753. 

James Barrett, 1728, 1729, 1730, 
1731. 

Samuel Swectser, 1728, 1729, 
173d. 
Thomas Parker, 1728, 1729, 1730. 

Thomas Burditt, 1731. 

Thomas Lynds, 1731,1732, 1733, 

1734. 1735, 1737, 1738, 1739. 
Samuel Wait, 1732, 1733, 1734, 

1735. 1736. 

Stower Sprague, 1732, 1733. 
James Hovcv, 1733, 1734, 1735, 

1736. 1737, 1738, 1739, 1740, 1741. 

15 



Samuel Stowers, 1734, 1736. 
Joseph Lynds, 1735, 1736, 1739, 

1740, 1741, 1742, 1743, 1744, 1745, 
1748, 1750, 1753, 1757, 1659, 1760. 

Thomas Wayte, ye 3d, 1737, 
1745, 1746, 1747', 1748, 1750, 1751, 

1752, 1754, 1761. 

Nathaniel Jenkins, 1738, 1740, 

1741, 1742, 1745, 1747, 1753. 
William Sprague, 1738, 1741, 

1742. 

Stephen Pain, 1739, 1740, 1747, 

1745. 1749, 1750. 

Jonathan Howard, 1741, 1742, 

1746, 1747, 1749, 1754. 
Edward Wavte, 1742, 1743, 1744, 

1745, 1746, 1747, 1752, 1754, 1755, 
1758, 1761, 1762, 1766, 1767. 

Daniel Newhall, 1743. 

Samuel Green, 1743. 

Ben. Blanev, 1744, 1746, 1772, 
1773, 1774, 1775. 

John Dexter, 1746, 1748, 1749, 

1753, 1756, 1757, 1760, 1763. 1764, 
1765, 1769, 1770, 1771. 

Joseph Wilson, 1748, 1749. 

Ebenezer Harnden, 1749, 1751, 
1752, 1755, 1756, 1764, 1765, 1769, 
1770, 1771. 

Barnard Townsend, Esq., 1751, 
1752. 

James Green, 1751. 
Samuel Howard, 1751, 1755, 
1756. 

Uriah Oakes, 1752, 1762. 

John Burditt, 1753. 
Ezra Green, Esq., 1753, 1757, 

1763, 1768. 

Ebenezer Barrett, 1754, 1755, 
1756. 1757, 1759 

Thomas Pratt, 1755, 1756, 1759, 
1760. 

Samuel Grover, 1758, 1759. 

Samuel Green, Jr., 1758, 1761, 
1762. 

Benjamin Spragne, 1758. 

Edward Sprague, 1758. 

Ebenezer Pratt, 1 759, 1760, 1763, 

1764. 1765, 1766, 1767, 1768, 1769, 
1770, 1771. 

John Bucknam, 1760, 1766, 1767, 
1768, 1770, 1771. 



214 



Jonas Green, 1761, K62, 1763, 
1764, 1765, 1766, 1767, 1768, 1769, 
1770, 1771. 

Jonathan Oakes, 1761, 1762. 

Thomas Hills, 1763. 1764, 1765. 

Jabez Lynch 1766, 1767, 1768. 
Ezekiel Jenkins, 1772, 1773, 
1774, 1775. 



Joseph Howard, 1772, 1773, 1774 
1775. 

Ezra Sargent, 1772, 1773, 1774, 
1775. 

John G rover, Jr., 1772. 1773, 
1774, 1775. 



Representatives in General Court. 



Joh Lane, 1686. 

Joseph Wilson, 1688,1689,1694, 
1703, 1704. 

Henry Green, 1689, 1694, 1703, 
1704. 

John Sprague, Sen. 1690. 

Phineas Sprague, 1691. 

John Green, 1692, 1693, 1694, 
1696. 

John Greenland, 1695, 1708, 
1710, 1711, 1712, 1713, 1714, 1715, 
1717. 1720. 

Edward Sprague, 1696, 1703. 

Isaac Hill, 1698. 
Phineas Upham, 1705, 1716, 1718. 

Jacob Wilson, 1719, 1731, 1716, 
1737. 

Jonathan Sargent, 1721, 1724, 
1725, 1726, 1727. 1728, 1730. 

Samuel Bucknam, 1722, 1739. 
Timo'v Sprague, 1732, 1733, 1734. 

Samuel Wavte, 1735, 1736. 

Joseph Lynde, 1739, 1741, 1743. 

Samuel Green, 1742. 

Joses Bucknam, Esq., 1 744, 1 745, 
1746, 1747, 1748, 1749, 1750, 1751, 
1753. 

Barnard Townscnd, Esq., 1752. 

Benjamin Hills, 1754, 1757. 

Thomas Pratt, 1758, 1759. 

Ezra Green, 1760, 1761, 1762. 

John Dexter, 1663, 1764. 

Ebenezer Harnden, 1765, 1766, 
1767, 1768, 1769, 1770, 1771, 1772, 
1773, 1774. 

Ezra Sargeant, Esq., 1775, 1776, 
1777, 1781. 1784, 1785, 1786. 

Benjamin Blaney, 1778, 1779, 
1780, 1783, 1787. 



William Wait, 1788. 

Thomas Hills, 1789. 

Isaac Smith, 1790, 1791, 1792, 
1793, 1794, 1795. 

Barnard Green, 1797. 

Edward Wade, 1798. 

Jonathan Oakes, 1799, 1800, 
1801. 1802, 1806, 1807, 1808, 1809, 
1810, 1811, 1812. 1813. 

Jonas Green, 1811, 1812, 1813, 
1814, 1815, 1816. 

Ebenezer Harnden, 1813, 1814. 

Eben'r Nichols, 1816, 1817, 1892. 

Nathan Nichols, 1819, 1820, 1823, 
1824. 

Cotton Sprague, 1823, 1824, 
1825, 1826. 

Edward Wade, 1826,1827, 1828, 
1831, 1832. 

Isaac Stiles, 1829. 

James Crane. 1832, 1835. 

William II. Richardson, 1832. 

"William Pierce, 1833, 1835. 

Sylvanus Cobb, 1833, 1836. 

Uriah Chamberlin, 1835. 

George Emerson, 1836. 

Timothy Bailey, 1836. 

Daniel A. Perkins, 1837. 

E, N. Harris, 1837. 

Leavitt Corbett, 1838. 

Theodore L. Stiles, 1839. 

William Nichols, 1839. 

William Oliver, 1840. 

Benjamin G. Hill, 1842. 

Jonathan Oakes, 1843. 

Samuel S. Upham, 1845. 

Lemuel Cox, 1847. 

Thomas Wait, 1850. 



215 



MILITARY MATTERS. 

The following is a copy of an order directed to " Capt. 
John Sprague in Mauldon." " In Pursuance of an Order 
from the magr genii to me directed, Bearing date ye 18th of 
this Instant June ; these are in theire Majies Names to Re- 
quier you to detach out of yor Companie To Able Soldiers 
well appointed with arms and Amunition for their Majies 
Service to defend the ffrunteer Townes and prosecute ye 
Common Enemy. You are to Cause them to Randevouse at 
wooburne, by the meeting house, on Tusday the Thirtveth 
of this Instant, at one of the Clock in the Afternune, their to 
Receive farther orders. Hereof you may not fail at yor 
Peril. Dated In Charles Towne the 19th of June 1691, and 
in the Third yeare of their Majies reigne. 

" No. 62. John Phillips, Serjt. Major. 

" To the Committee of Militia in Maulden." 

This order has the following endorsement on the back : 
"John green, James whitehead went to the place of randaz- 
voues, July 17, 1691." 

This was tolerably punctual, being only seventeen days 
after the time appointed ! 

In all the wars of our country in older or later times. Mai- 
den has furnished her full number of men for military 
service. 

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 

During the latter part of the seventeenth century, and 
long afterwards, the practice of the Mohammedan pirates in 
the Mediterranean, frequently created a necessity for the 
redemption of captives who were so unfortunate as to fall 
into their power. Sometimes charitable contributions were 
made for this truly benevolent purpose. Thus, in 1680, on 
the 25th of November, the town of Maiden made a contri- 
bution of =£13 5s towards the redemption of Thomas Mitchell 
of Charlestown, then in captivity among the Turks. In 1686, 
on the 28lh of June, it was voted at a public town meeting, 
that ihe money which was given towards the redemption of 
Mr. Gold, he being dead in captivity, should return unto the 
town for the town's use, and not to his widow. 

1684, Oct. 27. " At a meeting of the select men for the 



216 

regulating of disorder in the meeting-house on the Lord's 
day by boys and youth playing, it is agreed and ordered by 
the Selectmen, that all householders or masters of familyes 
in this Towne shall take their turns successively every Lord's 
day, both be low and in the galires. ensine Lind to begin 
below, and sargent Samuel Sprague in the galire." By this, 
it would appear, that the generation of children and youth 
then in being was so graceless as to require restrictive meas- 
ures to prevent the disorder made by their playing in the 
meeting-house on the Lord's day. This propensity for un- 
seasonable and indecorous amusement is not quite extinct 
among the young people of the present generation, though 
not requiring quite so stringent regulations to check it. 

1693. By a record of this year, which requires certain 
public notices to be posted at the " two smiths shops," it 
would seem that these were the chief places of concourse for 
business ; and for the gentlemen loafers of that day, if any 
such there were. 

1694. This year the town voted that " the meeting-house 
shall be new seated." This does not refer to a job for the 
carpenters, but to a new distribution of the sittings among 
the inhabitants, by a committee for " dignifying the seats." 
A Committee was appointed to " doe ye above said sarvice." 
At a subsequent meeting, January 2, 1695, it was " Voted, 
that the Two deakens shall seate those commitis that is 
acointed [appointed] to Seate ye meeting hous." The im- 
partiality of the deacons in this matter was secured by the 
fact, that they had an official seat for themselves in their 
heavily timbered pews in front of the pulpit ; and as for their 
spouses, we find mention made under date of 1703, of" the 
deacons' wives' pew." 

1719, May 21. By an allusion to the mode of polling the 
house, on a disputed vote in town meeting, it is certain that 
the men and the women used to occupy different sides of 
the house, during the hours of public worship. 

At this period the General Court resorted to a singular 
expedient for the easement of the " money market." Large 
sums were borrowed on the public credit, and distributed 
rateably among the different towns, which were made respon- 
sible for repayment at stated periods. The sums so distrib- 
uted to the towns were to be loaned out to their respective 



217 

inhabitants in smaller sums properly secured. On the 5th of 
November, 1721, Maiden received =£300 from the General 
Court on these terms. The town elected trustees to take 
care of the money, and to let it out only to freeholders of 
the town, each borrower secured by another freeholder, in 
sums not less than ten pounds, nor more than twenty pounds 
to one individual, and at five per cent, interest. Tin's State 
loan was called in, by five instalments from the town, in 1726. 
In 1728 the town voted to take its part of the .£60,000 loan 
out of the public treasury. The money was to be retained 
for ten years, and the same course pursued in regard to it as 
in the former case. 

1740, May 19. "It was put to vote, to see if the town 
would allow Mr. Solomon Townsend liberty, on any terms, 
to pasture a cow on the burying-place ; and it past in the 
negative." 

1742, March 25. The town assessed a tax of £40 to 
meet any demands upon the town for the extirpation of 
" Black birds, Crows, Squirrels, and Wharf-rats." 

1745. About this time, and for some years previous, there 
are upon the town records numerous awful warnings to vari- 
ous persons, of which the following is a specimen: 

" To mr John Sprague, constable of the town of maiden, 
Greeting. In his magestys name you are required forthwith 
to warn Thankfull Burden that she forthwith dppart out of 
this town, and that she take her child with her, and that they 
be not resident longer any in said town : and make return of this 
warrant with your doings herein to me the Subscriber. Dated 
in Maiden august the 26 day, 1745. By order of the Select- 
men. John Shute, Town Clerk. 

" thankfull Burden above mentioned, is warned according 
to the tenor of the warrant per me. 

" John Sprague, Constable." 

From a statement made by an aged citizen of the old Col- 
ony, it appears that seventy years ago the style of living in 
the rural districts of New England was exceedingly homely 
and plain. In winter there was great uniformity of meals ; 
at dinner the first course was a dish of broth, usually called 
porridge, containing beans, and seasoned with summer sav- 
ory. The second course was an Indian pudding with sauce. 

15* 



218 

When the good wife arose, while it was yet a great while 
before day, she set on the big pot, in the yawning cavern of 
a fire-place ; in which pot was placed a substantial Indian 
pudding, tied up in a stout bag, and left to be boiled and 
bounced in the seething caldron till the hungry hour of noon, 
when it was turned out, red as a cherry, from its long con- 
coction. The pudding was followed by a dish of boiled pork 
and beef, with turnips. Potatoes had not then come into 
general use. We have heard the late excellent Mr. Nathan 
Lynde remark, that when, in his boyhood, they placed three 
bushels of potatoes in the cellar of his father, who was a large 
farmer, they wondered what they should do with so large a 
winter stock. Tea, or coffee, or chocolate, were reserved 
for breakfast on Sabbath mornings. On other mornings, and 
at the evening meals, milk, with toasted brown bread or hasty 
pudding, was the usual beverage, varied by an occasional 
mug of cider or beer. Pork and beef also were in order on 
all occasions of this kind. The Sunday dinner was dispensed 
with ; but immediately after the afternoon service, the festive 
board was dignified with roasted goose, or turkey, or spare- 
rib, or stew pie. In the Spring and Summer, milk, which 
was scarce in Winter, was supplied for supper and break- 
fast. Fine wheat flower was not in common use. 

In general, old and young were furnisbed with their Sun- 
day suit of clothes, made so faithfully, and of such substan- 
stantial materials, supplied by the spinning-wheels and looms 
of the domestic factory, and preserved with such pious econ- 
omy, as to last for a life time, and descend to children's 
children. Few men expected to live long enough after at- 
taining their majority, to wear out a pair of boots, whose 
leather had been nine years in tanning. The common garb 
of men was a common doublet, sometimes called a fly-coat, 
reaching about half way to the thigh ; a striped jacket, and a 
pair of small clothes. These were made of flannel cloth, 
pulled, but not sheared, and accompanied with flannel shirts 
and stockings, with a silk neckkerchief to flourish on grand 
occasions. Shoes and stockings were not worn by the young 
men, nor by many of the older men, while engaged in farm- 
ing business. Boys, as soon as they were out of their petti- 
coats, were garbed like their giand-sires, and at once looked 
little and old. For summer work, loose trowsers were worn. 



219 

No young man ever thought of such effeminacy as the wear- 
ing of a great coat. To cap the climax, a broad brimmed hat, 
looped up in triple cock, surmounted the sturdy frame. 

The women, young and old, horrid to relate ! wore flannel 
gowns in the Winter. The young women in the Summer 
wore wrappers; and while about their ordinary business, 
dispensed with shoes and stockings. For bettermost dress, 
they were usually contented with a single calico gown, though 
many had another of camlet or poplin. The sleeves came 
down to the elbows, and were garnished with a ruffle or two, 
sometimes nine or ten inches deep. Their shoes were made 
of leather or broadcloth, with heels an inch and a half high, 
and pointed toes, making plenty of work for the corn cutters. 

The principal conveyance of families to meetings or visits 
in those times was by nature's tandem. A walk of five or 
six miles for such purposes was considered no hardship, by 
men or women. A forty dollar horse was considered as a 
prime article ; and a rosinante more than nine years old was 
of no account. A half cord of wood, on one of their clum- 
sy wains, was regarded as a monstrous load. Chaises, on 
their first appearance, were considered a piece of magnifi- 
cence betokening great wealth or great pride in the owner. 
We find a curious illustration of this matter in the Diary of 
the Rev. Joseph Emerson. Under date of January 24, 1735, 
the good man says, " some talk about buying a shay. 
How much reason have 1 to watch, and pray, and strive 
against inordinate affection for the things of the world." 
January 31. " Bought a Shay, £27 10s. The Lord grant 
it may be a comfort and blessing to my family ! " These 
expressions indicate how sensible he was of the great temp- 
tations incurred by this important purchase. Feb. 5, he 
says, " Remarked smiling upon my being drawn in a Shays. 
The Lord Jesus has the entire government of the church, 
and to his favor and power I am indebted for such a smile of 
Providence, so very unexpected." Afterwards, however, his 
stumbling beast exposed this excellent man and his family to 
so many perils, as to excite in his mind deep misgiving upon 
the propriety of his indulging in this piece of extravagance. 
At last, the chaise, causing so much spiritual uneasiness to 
the possessor, and so much envy to his neighbors, is disposed 
of, on the fourth of June, to Rev, Mr. White, who, doubtless, 



220 

in his turn, experienced a similar succession of mental ela* 
tions, conflicts, and depressions, in consequence of his pur- 
chase. 

Though the style* of living in the rural districts of New 
England was thus simple and unostentatious, it is well known 
that in the few large and wealthy towns, there were families 
distinguished for the luxury and elegance of their mode of 
life. The evidence of this is seen in the splendor and cost- 
liness of apparel, as indicated by old portraits, and by relics 
of faded magnificence kept as heir-looms in many families 
at the present time. This is also indicated by the massive 
pieces of plate so frequently disposed of in testamentary be- 
quests ; and in the elaborate carved work and carpentry 
which adorned the old mansions of the wealthier class. 

Among the marked traits of the times of the fathers of 
New England, was the immense personal influence of the 
ministers, and the degree to which they often indulged them- 
selves in eccentricities which would hardly be tolerated in 
this fastidious age. Thus it is related of the Rev. Joseph 
Emerson, that whenever he visited his father-in-law, the sin- 
gularly excellent Rev. Samuel Moody of York, Me., he 
usually spent the Sabbath and preached there. His sermons 
were accurately written out in full ; and many of Mr. Moody's 
hearers, much pleased with their methodical and instructive 
character, drew comparisons unfavorable to the spirited but 
unlabored and extemporary effusions of their pastor. This 
coming to the knowledge of Father Moody, he resolved to 
try his hand in the same line. Having prepared a written 
sermon, he proceeded to read it to his congregation on a 
Sabbath morning. Unused to preaching from notes, he soon 
became excessively embarrassed ; and energetically casting 
aside his manuscript, he broke out in the exclamation, " Em- 
erson must be Emerson, and Moody must be Moody ! I feel 
as if my head was in a bag. You call Mooay a rambling 
preacher, and it is true enough ; but he is just fit to pick up 
such rambling sinners as you. You are all run away from 
the Lord." So he went on at his old rate, untrammelled by 
rhetorical or conventional rules. 

Our pious fathers exercised a characteristic simplicity of 
faith, that distinctly saw the hand of Providence in every 
event. Hence, in addition to the periodical fasts appointed 



221 

by public authority, local fasts were appointed by churches, 
as afflictive dispensations seemed to them to require. At 
a certain time in the first half of the last century, great rav- 
ages were made by the canker worm, in this town, which 
well nigh destroyed every green thing. In this distress, a 
day of Fasting was observed for the removal of this plague 
of insects. On that day Mr. Moody officiated for Mr. Em- 
erson. The late Deacon Samuel Wait, of the Baptist church 
in this town, used to tell the story as he had often heard it 
in his boyhood from his own father, who was an eye witness 
of the affair. Avery aged lady, yet living, tells it as she 
received it from her grandmother. Dea. Wait's father said, 
that when he went to the meeting-house that morning, the 
canker worms were so numerous that you could scarcely set 
down your foot without crushing them by the score. The 
lady referred to, not only alluded to the same circumstance, 
but said, that as she scaled the stone walls on her way, 
she saw them hanging on the bushes, as she was wont to 
phrase it, " in pecks.'' Mr. Moody's text was Malachi 3 : 
11, " I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes." As he 
warmed with his subject, he seemed filled with a sort of 
prophetic fire, and appealed to his hearers in terms like the 
following : " Brethren, here is the promise of God ! Do you 
believe it ? Do you repose full confidence in it ? I believe 
it, and feel an assurance in my soul that God will bring it to 
pass." It was granted unto him according to his faith ; — for 
when the somewhat protracted service was done, the destroy- 
er had departed at the rebuke of the Lord. Not one of the 
insects which had been so multitudinous was to be seen 
alive. The father of Dea. Wait said, that he saw them lying 
dead in " little windrows" on the shores of the creek that 
runs through the town. These were probably left by the 
receding of the tide-water Which had been draining from the 
meadows. 

It were too much to regard this as a modern miracle, or as 
the fruit of a miracle-working faith. That the facts took 
place as stated, is a uniform " tradition of the elders" in our 
pleasant village. The Christian view of the subject would 
seem to be, that it was one of those cases in the ordinary 
course of his providential government of the world, in which 
God answered prayer by means of natural agencies. 



222 

Much censure has been cast upon our fathers for the 
alleged severity of their penal code, especially in the matter 
of corporeal and capital punishments. But it ought to be 
considered, not only that they were obliged to act under the 
English Criminal law, but that they were poor, and lived 
here in the beginning of things. A modern penitentiary, 
with all its appliances for the safe keeping and reformation of 
criminals, is one of the last ripened fruits of modern civilization, 
involving great expense, and requiring that mature experience 
which is of very gradual acquisition. In the times we are 
reviewing, if any malefactor was detected, there was no 
place which could be relied on for his permanent detention 
and employment. If his felony was of an aggravated char- 
acter, the only thing that could be done with him was to exe- 
cute him here, or send him to the mother country to undergo 
the same penalty. For lesser misdemeanors, when the 
offender had not the means of paying a fine, the only re- 
source was to " take it out of his hide" at the whipping-post, 
or out of his mental sensibilities by placing him in the stocks 
or pillory. 

The only capital offence, so far as is known, ever com- 
mitted in this town, and prosecuted to conviction, was that of 
a negro for the crime of arson. On the Sabbath, August 9, 
1730, just after the Rev. Mr. Emerson had commenced the 
last discourse in the old meeting-house, Mr. Hutchinson's 
house, standing a short distance east from the Parsonage, was 
burnt to the ground. Tom, the offender, was confined in 
Salem jail, where he was visited by his minister. He was 
executed at Lechmere Point, on which occasion President 
Appleton of Harvard College preached from the text: 
" What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are 
now ashamed ? for the end of those things is death." Mr. 
Emerson prayed with Tom at the place of execution. 

The old whipping-post in Maiden was extant near the an- 
cient Hill tavern-stand, till within a very short period. The 
parish stocks are still in existence ; and antiquaries who are 
desirous to know how the subjects of this mode of discipline 
felt under it, can doubtless have their wishes gratified at a 
small expense. 



223 



MALDEN CENTRE FIFTY YEARS AGO, AND NOW. 

Near the town pump, on the corner now occupied by the 
Baptist meeting-house, stood what was afterwards known as 
the " Foster house." There were but four houses between 
that and the old "Porterhouse" on the Lynn Road; one 
owned by a Mr. Gould, and two others now owned by Mr. 
John Sprague, built of materials taken, chiefly, from the old 
South meeting-house ; the house recently occupied and own- 
ed by Mr. Simon H. Barrett ; and on the other side of the 
road, an old " Phillips house," on the place where Mr. Brint- 
nall's now stands. These were all the buildings on Salem 
street, so long familiarly known by the appellation of " Bap- 
tist Row." 

Up the Reading road, were the houses owned by Barnard 
Newhall and Micah Wait. Where the large Dye-House now 
stands, an old orchard was to be seen, at the foot of which 
was a pond which has since been filled in, with the exception 
of the water-course. 

On the Medford road, the " Floyd house" stood first, now 
occupied by Mr. Dwight Fisher ; next the " Sweetser house," 
on the corner of Washington and Pleasant streets; next the 
" Harnden house," which was removed a few years since to 
make place for the Railroad Depot ; and next the old Dexter 
mansion, which has lately been rebuilt, under the shadow of 
the ancestral elm, of which the late Captain Dexter, when 
over four-score years of age, was wont to say, that he had 
heard his father say, that he could not remember when it was 
a young tree. May this giant vegetable long stand at the 
head of that noble avenue. Then, the Medford road, now so 
appropriately termed Pleasant street, was a mere cart-path, 
winding through a dense thicket of thorns and briars. North 
of this road there were scattered a few aged habitations on 
the pleasant tract long known as " the village." 

On the road to Boston, this side the Parsonage, was the old 
tavern stand, now occupied by Mr. Isaac Hill, who succeeds 
to his progenitors of the same name. Next, the old " Madam 
Emerson house," which stood on the spot now occupied by 
the venerable Mr. Nathaniel Pratt. On the other side of the 
street, was the house, now an old one, owned by Mr. Noble. 
The ancient sanctuary standing on the site now occupied by 



224 

the Brick meeting-house, is sufficiently described in Rev. Mr. 
T. C. Cushing's address, already given. On the lot next 
south of the meeting-house, was a dwelling which has given 
place to the mansions of Mr. Eaton and Dr. Sullivan, and 
next to the house now owned and occupied by Charles Lewis, 
Esq. On the spot where Mr. Bailey's house now stands, was 
the " Hallowell house." On what is now called Marsh street, 
leading to the old burial ground, but which was then a part 
of the old meandering road to Boston, stood a small Poor- 
house. This house was deeded to the town a century ae;o, 
by Thomas Mansur, in consideration of the town affording 
what was needful for his subsistence, in addition to his labor, 
in his old age. It is now remodelled and occupied by Mr. 
Samuel Shute. Before its door stood then a sun-dial, the 
economical town time-piece of Maiden. 

Such was Maiden half a century ago. Cut off from Bos- 
ton by two toll-bridges, it had flourished less than some more 
favored towns in the environs of the great city. A man 
could not ride into the city and out again with his horse and 
chaise, without paying the heavy tax of forty-seven cents, a 
sum sufficient to discourage travel for pleasure, or teaming 
for trade. But the day of change has come. The tolls are 
reduced to a mere trifle, with the prospect of a speedy ex- 
tinction. The Boston and Maine Railroad running directly 
through the town, has brought it within easy transit of the 
city. It is now beginning to be known that the face of the 
country in Maiden is diversified with various attractions of 
land and water scenery. Here, within five miles of Boston, 
are woody heights and rocky glens, and smoothly rounded 
hills, clothed in the summer's livery of green ; and affording 
numerous prospects combining the charms of city, sea, and 
country. The prospect from " Wait's Mountain " on a clear 
day is a vision of beauty. Lovers, poets, and money-getting 
matter-of-fact men, all assert this with equal enthusiasm. All 
along this mount and its neighboring ridges, are the very 
spots for the rustic cottage, or the ornate country-seat. Here 
are four churches of different denominations, schools of high 
order, large business establishments, and numerous stores, 
conducing to the quiet animation, and useful conveniences, 
and social improvement of the place and people. No place 
can boast a more salubrious air ; and of water we have the 



225 

best, and but very little that is worse than water as an article 
of drink. 

The rapid growth of the Centre village will be manifest 
from a few statistics. The valuation of the Centre district, 
on the Assessors' List for 1848, was $685,773. The valua- 
tion in 1849, the year which closed the second century since 
the town's incorporation, was $787,743 ; making an increase 
in one year of $102,070, or about fourteen per cent. Since 
the 1st of January, 1849, there have been seventy or eighty 
stores and dwelling-houses erected, which cannot have cost 
less than $150,000, in addition to some $70,000 invesied in 
the building of the Wanalancet Iron Tubing Company. The 
whole number of rateable polls here in 1849, was 488, being 
an increase of about twenty per cent, on the previous year. 

The Edgeworth Company has purchased at different times 
307 acres, of which, about a sixth part has been sold. The 
19,000 shares in the stock of this corporation, at a moderate 
estimation, were considered to be worth on the 1st of Janu- 
ary, 1850, about $12 per share. This company holds out 
great inducements and facilities to such as are disposed to 
purchase its lands, and improve them as places of residence, 
or for purposes of business. 

Two miles beyond the centre of Maiden, a new town has 
been set off from us this year, and incorporated by the Legis- 
lature, under the poetic name of Melrose. This is an exceed- 
ingly beautiful tract of country, and has increased rapidly in 
population since the opening of Railroad communication with 
Boston. Several new places of religious worship have been 
opened, and excellent schools have been established by pri- 
vate enterprise. 

Of the advantages of the South part of Maiden, we can- 
not express ourselves too warmly. If it has less of wild and 
rugged scenery, and forest shade, it has smoother elevations, 
whose graceful summits present the finest panoramic views 
that can be obtained of Boston and its famed vicinity, of 
island, sea, and shore. Among the new elements of thrift 
and prosperity here exhibited, is the gathering of a new and 
promising religious society. A line of omnibuses is about 
opening increased facilities for communication with Boston 
by the Winnisimmet Ferry at Chelsea. A company has 
just been incorporated for extensive manufactures in iron and 

16 



226 

marble, at Island end. The Grand Junction Railroad, which 
is rapidly advancing to completion, and sweeps with graceful 
curve through the greater part of this portion of Maiden, 
will also make its influence felt in the prosperity of the place. 
There lingers an old tradition that when the inhabitants of 
the South part of Maiden were petitioning the General Court, 
a hundred and twenty years ago, to be set off either into a 
new town, or a separate religious precinct, they were op- 
posed by the rest of the town, on the ground of their being 
unable to support a minister by themselves. The gentleman 
who acted as spokesman for the petitioners, is reported to 
have said, in the fervor of his zeal — "Mr. Speaker, the 
South part of Maiden is like the garden of Eden, while the 
rest of the town is a waste howling wilderness ! " Whatever 
of truth or exaggeration there might have been in this state- 
ment at the time it was uttered, it is certain that the garden 
of Eden has been extending northward with unparalleled ra- 
pidity. The new town of "fair Melrose," the only daughter 
of Maiden, goes forth to set up a separate municipal exist- 
ence, with the parental consent and blessing ; and will doubt- 
less reflect lasting credit on her parentage. 

RELIGIOUS SOCIETIES. 

Having already given an account of the ecclesiastical af- 
fairs of the town, up to the period when it ceased to form 
one religious community, we will now finish what needs to 
be said as to the First Parish, and then add a few names, 
dates, and prominent circumstances in reference to those 
which have since come into existence. 

First Parish. After the Rev. Aaron Green had sustained 
the pastoral relation here about thirty-two 3'ears, he resigned 
his charge in 1827. In 1828, the control of the parish af- 
fairs passed into the hands of the Universalists ; and the Rev. 
Sylvanus Cobb, then of Waterville, Me., received an invita- 
tion to become pastor of the parish ; and was installed on the 
30th of July in that year. He resigned his charge in 1837. 
In November of that year Rev. John G. Adams, then of 
Claremont, N. H., accepted an invitation to become pastor of 
this society, and was installed February 28, 1838. In 1836 
the house was remodelled, and divided into two stories, the 



227 

upper being used for public worship, and the lower contain- 
ing a large hall and other rooms for public purposes. Mr. 
Adams is still pastor of this church. 

The Baptist Society. On the 27th December, 1803, forty- 
two persons were constituted into a Baptist church, by Rev. 
Henry Pottle, who became pastor of the church which 
worshipped in a barn temporarily fitted up for their use, till 
September in the following year ; when they entered upon the 
use of their unfinished house of worship, which stood for 
forty years between Salem street and the new burial ground. 
Rev. William Bently succeeded Mr. Pottle in 1807, and 
continued one year. The church was then without a settled 
pastor for seven years. During this period the pulpit was 
supplied by various ministers, one of whom was Rev. Jason 
Livermore, from Frankfort, Me., who remained about two 
years. He was succeeded for a year by Rev. Samuel Wydown. 
In 1816, Rev. Ebenezer Nelson removed from South Reading, 
and became the pastor of the church until 1823 ; and was 
the only pastor of this church who has died while in that 
office. His death took place May 4, 1825. He was succeed- 
ed by Rev. John Cookson, who was ordained March 24, 
1824; and after two years removed to Lowell. Rev. John 
Newton Brown was installed December 20, 1826. He con- 
tinued till January 31, 1828, when he removed to Exeter, 
N. H. Rev. Avery Briggs was called to the pastoral office 
Sept. 28, 1828, and continued four years, when he removed 
to Marblehead. During his residence, the meeting-house was 
enlarged, at the expense of S15C0, and a bell weighing 1500 
pounds was given, mostly at the expense of Mr. Timothy 
Bailey. Rev. Conant Sawyer next held the pastoral office 
for three years. On the first of April, 1837, Rev. Edward 
N. Harris entered upon the duties of pastor, which he dis- 
charged for a few months. In November, 1838, Rev. Joseph 
M. Driver entered upon the pastoral office, which he filled 
till April, 1840. On July 19th of that year, the Rev. Na- 
thaniel West Williams was installed. He remained three 
years. It was during his ministry that the present spacious 
and elegant Baptist meeting-house was erected at an expense 
of about $10,000. The prosperity of this society has been 
greatly aided by a munificent legacy. After the departure 
of Mr. Williams, the Rev. John Cookson was re-installed 



228 

pastor, who remained till 1847, when he was succeeded by 
the present incumbent, Rev. Charles Billings Smith. Within 
a short time an elegant organ has been procured, and other 
improvements made upon the place of worship at an expense 
of some $ 1 500. 

Methodist Episcopal Society in North Maiden. This so- 
ciety originated in what is now Melrose, in 1813, by the 
agency of Rev. Timothy Merritt. He was succeeded the 
same year by Rev. Thomas C. Pierce ; and he again by Rev. 
Ephraim Wiley. Under his administration in the summer of 
1815, the church was duly organized, according to the Dis- 
cipline. Mr. Wiley remained till 1818, and was succeeded 
by Rev. Orlando Hinds, who officiated one year, during 
which a meeting-house was built, which gave place about 
five years since to the neat structure now occupied by the 
society. 

Methodist Episcopal Society in Maiden Centre. A 
" Class" of Methodists was formed in Maiden Centre in 1820. 
They worshipped in the hall of the old brick school-house, 
till their first place of worship was erected, in 1825. At this 
time the Rev. Joseph Marsh was the minister in charge. 
Their present beautiful house was constructed in 1813, during 
the ministry of Rev. Mr. Landon; and during the past year, 
under the ministry of Rev. Mr. Dennison, the society was 
freed from the debt incurred by its erection. 

Methodist Protestant Society. In consequence of a dis- 
sension in the Methodist Episcopal Church in the north part 
of Maiden, which arose in 1828, this society was formed ; 
and purchased an old school-house, which was fitted up and 
dedicated as a place of worship in 1830. About ten years 
afterwards, under the ministry of Rev. John M'Leish, their 
present house of worship was erected. Rev. J. Parsons is 
at present pastor of this flourishing society. 

Trinitarian Congregational Society. Upon the installa- 
tion of Rev. Mr. Cobb in the First Parish in 1828, the majority 
of the church, and such as adhered to them, withdrew from the 
First Parish meeting-house, and instituted public worship in 
various places, but chiefly in the hall of the brick school- 
house, which some two years since was destroyed by fire. 
This society was organized according to the provisions of 
the law, in 1832, and Rev. A. W. McClure, who had been 



229 

occupying the pulpit since April, 1831, was ordained Decem- 
ber 23, 1832. Their present house of worship was dedicat- 
ed in 1833. Tn November, 1842, Mr. McClure retired, and 
went to Florida, on account of his health. In 1843, Rev. 
Chauncey Goodrich was ordained, and remained in the 
pastoral office for four years. Soon after his resignation, 
Mr. McClure resumed the supply of the pulpit, and after one 
year, was re-installed as pastor of the church, in which 
office he still remains. 

Congregational Society in Melrose. In the spring of 
1848, a few individuals who had lately removed to this part 
of the town, were organized into an Orthodox Congrega- 
tional church. Rev. Stillman Pratt preached to them for 
some months; and when their place of worship was dedi- 
cated in 1849, he was duly installed as pastor. 

Winthrop Congregational Society. This congregation 
was organized in the South part of Maiden soon after the 
Melrose society was formed at the North. It worships in 
the commodious hall of the South-west District school-house. 
Rev. George E. Pratt was ordained as pastor of this church 
in 1849. 

Melrose Universalist Society. In 1849 this society was 
organized, and meets for worship in the Academy Hall. Rev. 
J. W. Talbot is their pastor. 



!30 



OLD MALDEN FAMILIES. 



Sargeant. The " godly Christian," mentioned by John- 
son, as " prophesying" in Maiden in tho first days of its set- 
tlement, is, undoubtedly, William Sargeant, who came from 
England in 1638, and was made a freeman at Charlestown 
in 1639. He had several children born as early as 1644; 
and is undoubtedly the ancestor of the numerous heirs of his 
name in Maiden, which was then a part of Charlestown. 
One of his sons, Peter Sargeant, was a member of the Coun- 
cil of Safety in 1683, and one of the first Councillors under 
the new Charter of William and Mary in 1692. John Sar- 
geant, another son of William, is known to have resided in 
Maiden. He had the following sons, viz : Joseph, John, 
William, Samuel, Jonathan, and Ebenezer. 

Jonathan Sargeant was born at Maiden, April 17, 1677. 
He had the following children : Jonathan, by his first wife ; 
by his second wife, who was Mary Sprague, he had Nathan, 
John, Mary, Hannah, Ebenezer, Lydia, Hannah, Ebenezer, 
Samuel. He removed to Mansfield, Conn., where he died 
Oct. 27, 1754, aged 77. 

His son Nathan, born at Maiden, Aug. 27, 1718, mar- 
ried June 24, 1742, Mary Sargeant, of Maiden, who was 
born Nov. 18, 1721, and was a daughter of Joseph and Han- 
nah Sargeant, of Maiden. They removed to Leicester, Mass., 
in 1741. They had three children, Lydia, Mary, and Na- 
than. This Nathan was a wealthy farmer in Leicester, where 
his descendants still live in high repute. His great grand- 
father, John, born March 3, 1644, had by his first wife, Deb- 
orah, Jabez, born April, 1669. This Deborah died April 20, 
1669, probably in child-bed. John Sargeant next married 
Mary Bcnse, Sept. 3, 1669. She died the next year, leaving 
no issue on record. He married for his third wife, Lydia, 



231 

bv whom he had Hannah, born Dec. 1675 ; Ruth, born Oct. 
1686 ; Samuel, born March 22, 1688 ; John, born March 22, 
1689; Ebenezer, born Sept. 25, 1690; Sarah, born January 
23, 1692. 

The following Sargeant marriages are on record in 
Maiden : 

Mary Sargeant married Thomas Douglass, June 10, 1725, 

Elizabeth married Ebenezer Barrett, Nov. 7, 1734. 

John married Mary Wadkins, July 24, 1740. 

Hannah married Jabez Burditt, Feb. 7, 1740. 

Nathan Sargeant, of Leicester, married Mary Sargeant, of 
Maiden, June 24, 1742. 

Samuel married Lois Wate, Oct. 25, 1743. 

Sarah married John Goddard, Aug. 3, 1745. 

Silas Sargeant married Mary Winslow, Feb. 14, 1746. 

Jabez married Rachael Wait, Oct. 9, 1746. 

Joseph married Hannah Whittemore, Jan. 20, 1747. 

John married Hannah Knower, Oct. 1, 1747. 

Thomas married Mary Waite, Jan. 17, 1749. 

James married Elizabeth Upham, April 25, 1749. 

Ezra married Deborah Sargeant, May 23, 1751. 

David married Mehitable Green, June 27, 1751. 

Si/as Sargeant, a brother of Ezra Sargeant, Esq., married 
Mary Winslow, February 14, 1746. He died May 1, 1796, 
aged 73. Their children were, Isaac Winslow Sargeant, 
Silas Sargeant, Amos Sargeant, John Sargeant, and Rhoda 
Sargeant. 

Amos Sargeant, third son of Silas, married Alice Buck- 
nam. Their children were, Amos, married to Esther Oakes; 
Silas, married to Diantha Fisher ; John, married to Dorcas 
Nichols; Sally, married to Lewis Fisher; Alice, married to 
Leonard Emerson, both deceased ; Aaron, married to Sarah 
Nichols; Thomas, married to Phebe Bridge ; Mary, died in 
infancy ; Nathan died in infancy ; and another Nathan mar- 
ried to Mehitable Brown. 

Hills. Of Joseph Hills we have already given a sketch. 
Although he moved from Maiden to Newbury, he left one or 
two sons and daughters in this place. 

There was also an Abraham Hill, made a freeman in 
Charlestown in 1640, who died at Maiden, February 13, 



232 

1670. Two of his sons were Isaac, born Oct. 29, 1641, and 
married to Hannnah Hayward, 1666 ; — and Abraham, born 
October, 1643, who had a son Abraham, born August, 1670. 
He is the ancestor of the Hills of Cambridge, and of several 
noted families in New Hampshire. It is not certain whether 
the present Hill families in Maiden are descendants of Joseph 
Hills or of Abraham Hill ; but there are reasons for believing 
that the two family names were quite distinct, and that Abra- 
ham Hill was the ancestor of the present generation here 
bearing his name. 

Greenland. John Greenland, of Charlestown, was made 
a freeman in 1644. He had a son John, born the same year, 
and admitted a freeman in 1679. This was the noted Dea- 
con Greenland, who served so many years as Town Clerk, 
Selectman, and Representative. It is not known that he has 
any descendants living. 

Lynde. Deacon Thomas Lynde, of Charlestown, " mas- 
ter," was born in January, 1593-4. He came to this coun- 
try and settled at Charlestown, where his name appears among 
the inhabitants in 1634. He was admitted freeman, March 4, 
1634—5 ; was 8 years deputy to the General Court, the first 
time in 1636, the last time in 1652 ; he was also one of the 
selectmen 14 years, and was constantly connected with town 
business, and was deacon of the church several years. (See 
also Frothingham's Charlestown, p. 83.) He died at Charles- 
town Dec. 30, 1671, " being 77 years old wanting 6 weeks." 
He was thrice married ; by his first wife he had several chil- 
dren, two of whom survived him, and are mentioned in his 
will, namely, Thomas, who was born in England about 1616 
(of whom see further,) and Mary, also born in England, and 
married to a Mr. Weeks, of Succonesset, (part of Falmouth.) 
The second wife of Deacon Thomas Lynde was " Margarett 
Jordan, widow, whose maiden name was Martin." " She was 
born Feb. 1599-1600, and deceased Aug. 3, 1662, being 62£ 
years old." * By her, Thomas Lynde had 5 children, viz : 
William, born about Dec. 1634, and died young ; Joseph, 
(afterwards the Colonel,) born June 8, 1636; Sarah, born 
April 16, 1639; Hannah, May 2, 1642; Samuel, Oct. 14, 

* Original family papers. 



233 

1644. The third wife of Deacon Lynde (to whom he was 
married Dec. 6, 1665, and by whom he had no issue,) was 
Rebecca Trerice, widow of Nicholas Trerice, merchant. 
She died at Charlestown, an aged widow, Dec. 8, 1688." 

Ensign Thomas Lynde, the eldest son of Deacon Thomas, 
settled at Maiden, and from him alone, as is understood, all 
the Ly tides in Maiden descended. The other children, being 
those by the 2d wife, did not go to Maiden. It is therefore 
unnecessary to give any further account of them, though 
there are ample materials. Thomas Lynde was made free- 
man, May, 1645 He died Oct. 15, 1693, aged 78. * Eliz- 
abeth, his wife, died Sept. 2, 1693, aged 81. * The records 
of their children are very imperfect. They had Thomas, 
born 25, 1, 1647 ; Elizabeth. 20, 2, 1650-51 ; Joseph, 13, 
10, 1652 ; and probably also John, of whose birth, however, 
no record is made. Elizabeth married Peter Tufts of 
Charlestown, Aug. 26, 1670, and died July 15, 1685, in the 
33d year of her age. * 

Thomas Lynde, of Charlestown, presumed to be the son 
of the above, was probably married to Mary Anderson, and 
had a daughter Mary, born Sept- 3, 1680. Rev. Thomas 
Shepard, of Charlestown, was married to Mrs. Mary Lynde, 
widow, July 27, 1682 She was married, thirdly, to Samuel 
Hayman, Esq., of Charlestown, about 1686. 

Joseph Lynde, of Maiden, son of Ensign Thomas, died 
Jan. 21, 1735, aged 83.* Elizabeth, his wife, died June 20, 
1735 aged 73. * Their children appear to have been Anna, 
born May 29, 1688 ; Joseph, Sept. 2, 1690 ; Sarah, born 
Nov. 22, 1694, died Oct. 34, 1730 ; Rebecca, July 14, 1696 ; 
Lydia, March 25, 1700; Thomas, April 22, 1702; Hannah, 
born May 22, 17 . . t Lydia was married to Thomas Pratt, 
June 24, 1725. Hannah was married to Amos Putnam, 
Dec. 27, 1726. 

Capt. John Lynde, of Maiden, presumed son of Ensign 
Thomas, had a wife Mary, and afterwards a wife named 
Elizabeth GTeene, to whom he was married August 26, 
1691. She died January 29, 1698-9 ; and he then seems to 
have had a third wife, Judith, by whom he had a daughter 
Martha. He seems to have had a son called John, Jr., date 

* Grave stones, Maiden. t Date in the book evidently wrong. 



234 

of birth unknown ; probably also a son Thomas ; also, Abi- 
gail, born Oct. 4, 1689 ; Samuel, Nov. 29, 1690 ; Dorothy, 
Dec. 20, 1692; Joanna, Feb. 22, 1696-7, Mehitabel, March 
22, 1697-8; and Martha, July 6, 1700. Martha was mar- 
ried Jan. 13, 1725-6, to Thomas Green. 

Joseph Lynde, of Maiden, son of Joseph and Elizabeth, 
was married, Oct. 21, 1714, to Mary Sprague. Their chil- 
dren were Joseph, born July 4, 1716; Jabez, April 22, 
1719; Mary, Dec. 24, 1721 ; Hannah, March 18, 1724-5; 
Phebe, Feb. 16, 1726-7 ; Elizabeth, Nov. 30, 1729. 

John Lynde, Jr., presumed son of Capt. John, had a 
wife Susanna, who died Sept. 9, 1707. He seems to have 
had a second wife Hannah, and by her the following : Han- 
nah, born Oct. 25, 1710 ; John, Oct. — 1712; Samuel, June 
25, 1714 ; Daniel, Jan. 26, 1716-17. 

Thomas Lynde, of Maiden, presumed son of Capt. John, 
had a wife Lydia, and children, Thomas, born March 27, 
1711; Jonathan, March 14, 1714; Jacob, May 18, 1716; 
and Lydia, May 31, 1723. 

Nathan Lynde married Lydia Green. Their children were 
Nathan, William, and Joseph. Nathan married Hannah 
Sweetser, and settled in the southern part of Maiden, where 
his widow now resides. William settled in Gardner, Mass., 
and Joseph, married to Hannah Wait of Roxbury, succeeded 
to his father's ample farm. The children of Joseph and 
Hannah are Joseph, Rebecca Wait, married to James Eaton, 
and Charles, died in early manhood. 

Green. This family has great preponderance in the 
early period of Maiden history. Thus we find among the 
officers elected at the annual town-meeting, March 11, 1695, 
Dea. John Green, Moderator ; and for Selectmen, Dea. 
Green, Dea. John Greenland, John Green of the Hill, Henry 
Green, Samuel Green, Senior ; and John Green, Town Clerk. 

We here present a sketch, furnished by Hon. James D. 
Green, of that branch of the family to which he belongs. 

I. James Green, who came from England, (in what year 
is not ascertained,) purchased land of Abraham Palmer, and 
settled in Mystic-fields, or on Mystic side, afterwards Mai- 
den, in 1647. He was admitted freeman the same year. 



235 

He died March 29, 1687, O. S., leaving a widow Elizabeth, 
and two sons, John and James. The latter settled in Boston, 
where he was living in 1707. 

II. John Green, the eldest son of the preceding, who was 
probably born in Maiden about the year 1650, inherited the 
real estate of his father, to which he added the " Bell pasture," 
by purchase of Rev. Benjamin Blakeman, late minister of 
Maiden. He died in 1707, leaving a widow, Mary, three 
daughters, and one son, as follows, viz. : 

1. Mary, who married a Sargent ; 

2. Elizabeth, who married a Sprague ; 

3. Hannah ; and 

4. Samuel, to whom he gave all his real estate, his " dwell- 
ing-house and barn, and all his outhousing, and all his lands, 
both in Maiden and Charlestown, both salt meadow and 
fresh, with all his wood-lots." 

III. Samuel Green, the only son of John, was born in 
1679. Among his purchases of real estate, was one from 
David Parsons, of Leicester, late minister of Maiden, of five 
acres and a dwelling-house, for ,£80, as per deed, 1722. 
This was probably the house and land occupied by Mr. Par- 
sons during his ministry in Maiden, and appears to have been 
the same which was deeded to Thomas Lynde by Paul Wil- 
son, who bought it of John Lewis, according to a deposition 
of Rev. Mr. Hale, in 1695 ; and was probably part of cer- 
tain property the right to which was long contested at law, 
between John Green and the heirs of John Lewis. Martha, 
the wife of Samuel, died May 29, 1754, in the 72d year of 
her age. 

Samuel Green represented the town in the General Court 
in 1742. He died Feb. 21, 1761, in the 82d year of his 
age, leaving four sons, one daughter, and two grand-daugh- 
ters, as follows ; viz. : 

1. James, who married a daughter of Joseph Hartwell, 
of Charlestown, and had two sons, Darius and Rowland, and 
three daughters, Jerusha, Barridill and Chloe. Darius re- 
moved to Marblehead, where he married, and, at his death, 
left a family. Rowland graduated at Harvard College, 1758, 
and settled in the ministry at Mansfield, where he died in 
1808, aged about TO, leaving a widow, two sons and one 
daughter. Barridill married Moses Bucknam of Maiden^ 



236 

and Chloe married, 1st, a Trask, and 2d, a Harrington, both 
of Lexington. 

James Green sold his estate in Maiden to Deacon Perkins, 
removed to Mansfield, and ended his days with his son Row- 
land. 

2. John, second son of Samuel, removed to Carlisle, where 
he married, and has left descendants. He was upwards of 
80 when he died. 

3. Timothy, third son of Samuel, settled at Leicester, 
where he died at an advanced age, leaving descendants there. 

4. Ezra. (See below.) 

5. Mary, daughter of Samuel, married a Dana of Brigh- 
ton, and had a large family of children. 

6. Martha, (who married a Robbins,) and Elizabeth, (who 
married a Baldwin,) were grand-daughters of Samuel by a 
daughter, (who married a Ssveetser,) and deceased before 
her father. Elizabeth Baldwin died in 1822, Oct. 24, JE 90. 

IV. Ezra Green, fourth snn of Samuel, was born in 1714. 
He married, 1st, Sarah Hutchinson, who died July 7, 1741, 
aged 26, leaving no children ; 2d, Eunice Burrill, (daughter 
of Councillor Burrill,) of Lynn, who died Oct. 2, 1760, 
aged 47, leaving two sons, Ezra and Bernard ; and 3d, Mary 
Vinton, by whom he had one son, Aaron. Ezra Green was 
a deacon of the church in Maiden ; served the town as 
Selectman, and was a representative in the General Court 
in the years 1760, '61 and '62. He died April 28, 1768, 
aged 54. 

Mary, his widow, died Dec. 21, 1806, aged 85. The 
children of Ezra Green were, 

1. Ezra, born June 17, 1746, graduated at Harvard Col- 
lege, 1765 ; was a surgeon in the army and navy during the 
war of the revolution ; settled in Dover, N. H., married 
Susannah Hays, about the year 1779, by whom he had four 
sons and three daughters; of whom, Reuben Hays, Charles, 
Deborah Shackford, Sarah, and Walter Cooper, are now 
living. Dr. Green died July 25, 1847, aged 101 years and 
28 days. 

2. Bernard, second son of Ezra, w r as born in Maiden, 
Jan. 14, 1752. He married, 1st, in 1783, Susannah Parker, 
of Reading, who died in 1785, leaving one son, Bernard ; 
and, 2d, June 9, 1790, Lois Diman, daughter of Rev. James 



237 

Diman, pastor of the 2d church in Salem, by whom he had 
three daughters, and two sons now living, Ezra and James 
Diman. Bernard Green was in the army of the revolution 
during a portion of the war ; was in service on the 19th of 
April and 17th of June, 1775, and in the battle of White 
Plains, Oct. 28, 1776. He served the town for many years 
in various offices of honor and responsibility, represented it 
in the Legislature, was a Justice of the Peace in active prac- 
tice for more than thirty years, and died July 15, 1834, aged 
82 years. His widow, Lois, died Feb. 22, 1839, aged 81. 

3. Aaron, third son of Ezra, was born Jan. 4, 1765 ; 
graduated at Harvard College in 1789, and settled in the 
ministry at Maiden, Sept. 30, 1795. He married Eunice 
Orne, of Lynnfield, in 1796, and had four sons and one 
daughter. Two sons, John Orne and Charles Reynolds, 
with the daughter, Caroline M. (Mrs. Wm, Blanchard,) arc 
now living. 

Rev. Aaron Green was dismissed from the church in Mai- 
den in 1828, and has since resided in Andover. 

There were other families in this town of the name of 
Green ; as it is on record that Thomas Green, Sen'r, died at 
Maiden, Dec. 19, 1667, being about twenty years previous to 
the death of James, who stands first on the preceding cata- 
logue. The distinction of Senior, shows that there must 
have been a young person of the same name. 

William Green may have been of this branch. He mar- 
ried Isahel Blood, formerly Wyman, Feb. 6, 1695, being then 
an old man. 

John, probably a son of the above named William Green, 
married, in 1700, Isabel Wyman, a daughter of the Isabel 
Green above mentioned ; and he died Aug. 9, 1765. 

Sprague. Edward Sprague, of Upway, in the County of 
Dorset, in England, had three sons born in the beginning of 
the 17th century, who landed in Salem in 1628. Their names 
were Ralph, Richard, and William, Ralph had four sons ; 
John, Richard, Samuel, and Phineas. 

John, the first son, and Samuel, the third son of Ralph, 

settled in Maiden, a little to the north-west of the corn-mill, 

which stood on the site afterwards occupied by Odiorne's 

Nail Factory, which was burnt some years since, and re- 

17 



238 

placed by another grist-mill. The old corn-mill, built by 
Coytmore, was for a long time in possession of the Sprague 
family. 

John, first son of Ralph Sprague, had four sons, Jonathan, 
Edward, Samuel, and Phineas. Phineas settled about two 
miles further up towards the north-west part of the town, 
where Phineas Sprague, the second of that name, was born 
in January, 1700. He had a younger brother, Samuel. 

Phineas, son of Phineas the second, was born Sept. 19, 
1725. He died in 1805, aged 80. 

Phineas, son of Phineas third, was born July 9, 1751. He 
had three sons, Phineas, the fifth of that name, born Jan. 10, 
1777; William, born Sept. 1, 1779; Richard, born March 
27, 1797. Phineas the fifth, had a son Henry, born Jan. 14, 
1807. The brothers of Phineas Sprague the fourth, were, 
Dr. John Sprague, who died in 1803, aged about 50 ; and 
Jonathan Sprague, father of Samuel Sprague, now living at 
Melrose. 

John Sprague, now living at Maiden Centre, is a son of 
Dr. John Sprague, and married Sarah Hill. 

Samuel, the third son of Ralph, also settled in Maiden. 
This Samuel had a son Samuel, also of Maiden. This 
Samuel also had a son Samuel of Maiden, — a son John, 
who moved to Killingly, Conn., in 1752, — and a son Richard. 

Richard, youngest son of the second Samuel Sprague, had 
sons Joseph and Ebenezer. Joseph had a son Joseph, and a 
daughter Sarah. Sarah married a Stearns of Salem, and 
had a son Joseph E. Stearns, who assumed the name of 
Sprague, and has been for many years Sheriff of Essex 
County. Miss Harriet Stearns, lately become a resident of 
Maiden, is a sister of Sheriff" Sprague. William S. Stearns, 
Esq., of Maiden, is a grandson of Sarah Stearns, and is great 
great grandson of Richard Sprague, third son of the second 
Samuel above mentioned. 

Nichols. James Nichols, of Maiden, was made a free- 
man in 1668. He died May 30, 1695. His posterity here 
and elsewhere may almost be said to be like " the sands of 
the sea shore innumerable." 



239 

Lewis. John Lewis came to Charlestown in 1638. He 
died at Maiden in 1657. From him, probably, the Bridge 
over " Pemberton's Creek," on Main street, derives its name. 
It is reported that he lived near it, on the spot now occupied 
by Charles Lewis, Esq., a native of Milford, N. H., who re- 
gards himself as a lineal descendant of the original John. 
That John had sons; John, born in 1638; and Samuel, born 
in 1641. 

Hall. Samuel Hall, who died at Maiden in 1680, was 
the first explorer of Windsor, Conn., whither the Dorchester 
Church, with their minister, removed in a body, 1635 ; hav- 
ing previously removed from Plymouth, in England, in the 
same collective capacity. 

Bucknaji. William Bucknam, presumed to be the ances- 
tor of the Maiden families of that name, became a freeman 
of Charlestown in 1647. He had a son Joses, a prominent 
citizen of Maiden, and a daughter Elizabeth, who married 
Benjamin Whittemore, fifth son of the first Thomas W. 
They both deceased in 1726. See grave-stone in Maiden. 

Brackenbury. William Brackenbury, an influential in- 
habitant of Maiden, of which place he was one of the first 
selectmen. The tradition is, that he occupied what is known 
as the " Russell farm," which then extended into the bounds 
of Medford. William died August, 1668, aged 66. Crave- 
stone in Charlestown. Alice, his widow, died Dec. 28, 1670, 
aged 70. Grave-stone in Maiden. 

Ann Brackenbury, a daughter of William, was born in 
1628. She married a Captain William Foster, and died Sept. 
22, 1714, in her 86th year. 

Mary, another daughter of William, was baptized June 29, 
1634. She married John Ridgway, Sen'r, and died Dec. 
24, 1670. 

Samuel Brackenbury, A. M., was born Feb. 10, 1645; 
graduated at Harvard College in 1664. Another Samuel, a 
physician in Maiden, presumed to be his son, married Ann 
Chickering in 1694, and died Nov. 26, 1702, aged about 30. 

The name of Brackenbury is either extinct, or is corrupted 
into the name of Bradbury. 



240 

Call. Thomas Call, or Caule, a baker, came over from 
England with his wife, Bennett, and three children. He died 
May, 1676, aged 79. His second wife, Joanna, was widow 
of Daniel Shepherdson. She died Jan. 30, 1661. Their 
children were, John, a baker, of Charlestown, who married 
Hannah Kettell, and died in 1697; also, Thomas, of Mai- 
den, who married, in 1657, Lydia, daughter of Daniel and 
Joanna Shepherdson, a daughter of his father's wife. She 
died the widow of Thomas Skinner, in 1723, aged about 87. 
Mercy Call, a daughter of the first Thomas, was married in 
1662, to Samuel Lee, and again in 1677, to John Allen. 

Elizabeth Call, also a daughter of the first Thomas, was 
baptized in 1641. She was married in 1663, to Samuel 
Tingley, who died in 1666. 

Mary Call, also a daughter of the first Thomas, was born 
in 1643, and died unmarried, in 1670. All of the name of 
Call in this country, belong to this family. The aged Mrs. 
Esther Call, supposed to be the most aged person in town, is 
the widow, probably, of a grandson or great grandson of the 
second Thomas. 

Whittemore. Thomas Whittemore was one of the ear- 
liest inhabitants of Maiden. At what time he settled there 
we cannot say with certainty ; but he was in the place in 
1645. In that year he purchased of Mr. John Cotton, teach- 
er, of Boston, a piece of land which joined his (Whitte- 
more's) own farm, which was bounded west and north by his 
own land, east by Mr. Bellingham, and south by the Mystic 
river.* As he had a farm in Maiden in 1645, he had proba- 
bly been there several years ; and is conjectured to have been 
one of the adventurers who came over with Gov. Winthrop, 
about 1630, the most of whom settled in the vicinity of Bos- 
ton. He probably redeemed his land from the wilderness ; 
and it is a remarkable fact, that the homestead remained 
steadily in the possession of his descendants, until it was 
sold, a few years ago, by the present Mr. William Whittemore, 
of Maiden. There is no doubt that the said Thomas Whit- 
temore, settled in the place described, several years before 
Maiden was incorporated. Indeed, in his will, dated Feb. 8, 
1660, he describes himself as of Charlestoicn ; but still he 

* See Suffolk Deeds, Lib. i. p. 61. 



241 

was upon the spot we have described. The farm is in the 
south-east corner of the present town of Maiden, bounded 
east by Chelsea, and south by Mystic river. He was an Eng- 
lishman ; and when he came to this country, he left his oldest 
son, Thomas, in his native land. He says, in his will : 

" First, I give and bequeath my body to the earth, and my 
soul to God that gave it ; and for my temporal estate, I give 
unto Hanna my wife, the third part of the profits of all the 
land, that is mine; and for a legacy of her love, and care 
to me, I give to her two cows, and the household stuff; the 
land to return to them that it shall be given to ; and the rest 
she shall dispose of to her children, whom she please. 

"2. To my eldest son, Thomas, being now in England, 
and having his portion there by gift, I therefore cannot add 
thereto by will : to prevent trouble, I give him, if he come, 
five shillings. 

" 3. I give to Daniel, my son, the house and barn, with the 
land about and adjoining to it, except what shall be afterward 
expressed; and one ox called Broad, and one cow; paying 
such legacies as shall be expressed for him to pay ; and lib- 
erty for his mother to live in the house, while she live, if she 
please. 

" 4. I give to my son Nathaniel thirty acres of upland 
lying at Sockemore [Sagamore ?] hill ; and one third part of 
all my meadow, both fresh and salt, with one ox called Buck 
and a cow, paying out of it what shall be appointed to him. 

" 5. 1 give to my son John, ten acres of land lying next to 
George Knowers. 

" 6. I give to my daughter Elizabeth twenty pound, to be 
paid at the day of her marriage, or else at the age of eighteen 
years ; this to be paid at current pay. 

"7. And as for my five youngest, Benjamin, Thomas, 
Samuel, Pelatiah and Abraham, I give unto each of them ten 
pounds, to be paid to them when they are at the age of one 
and twenty years. 

" Further, the reason why (if it should be demanded) I 
have disposed of my estate so as I have done, the greatest 
part to my sons Daniel and Nathaniel, is because by their 
means this estate that now I have disposed of, has been pre- 
served by them. And further, I make them my executors ; 
17* 



242 

and out of this their estate, they are to pay to their sister and 
brethren their portions — Daniel is to pay forty pounds, and 
Nathaniel thirty pounds ; they are to pay, both of them, each 
proportionally, according to every one's portion when it is 
due to them. 

his 

THOS. X WHITTEMORE.* 

mark. 

" These was the words and consent of him in presence 
of us. 

JOSES BoCKNUM, 
his 

Roger x Kenacut, 

mark. 

William Ireland." 

This will, as we have said, was dated Feb. 8, 1660, and 
was proved in the following June, between which two months, 
of course, Thomas Whittemore died. His son Daniel, who 
had the principal part of his estate, was born about 1635, 
and died in Maiden in 1683. He willed it to his two sons, 
Daniel and John. The last named Daniel died Sept. 21, 
1756, aged 94 ; and he bequeathed his homestead to his son 
Daniel ; the last named bequeathed his estate, by a will dated 
March 17, 1770, to his sons Daniel and Joseph. The former 
of the two last named, was obliged by hard fortune and a 
bad wife, to sell off his land piece by piece, and thus it went 
into the possession of the Pratts, Smiths and Dexters, between 
the years 1780 and 1790. Joseph, more frugal and fortunate 
than his brother, retained his part until his death, wheal it 
passed into the hands of his son William, now living. 

A few words in regard to the children of the first named 
Thomas. These were Thomas, [in old England,] Daniel, 
Nathaniel, John, Elizabeth, Benjamin, Thomas, Samuel, 
Pelatiah, Abraham. Thus, it seems, there were two sons 
Thomas living at the same time. There is no proof that the 
elder ever came over. Daniel and Nathaniel and some of 
the other children continued in Maiden, and their succes- 
sors were known there for many years. 

John moved to the south side of the Mystic. He was doubt- 
less born in England, and came over a minor with his father. 

* The original will is in the Probate Office at Cambridge. 



243 

He married Mary Upham, daughter of Deacon Upham, of 
Maiden, who died June 27, 1677, and in the October follow- 
ing, he married Mary Miller. From him descended the 
Whittcmores of Charlestown. He had a large family, viz : 
Thomas, born in 1664, Joseph 1666, Benjamin 1669, Na- 
thaniel 1673, Joel 1677, Mary 1678, Pelatiah 1680, Amos 
1681, Mary 1683, Daniel 1685, Rebecca 1687, Hannah 1689. 
Two or three others are named in his will. He was a wheel- 
wright. Shortly after his first marriage he bought a small 
tract of land in Charlestown,* above the neck, in what was 
called the General field. Here he lived, for a time, engaged 
jointly in his trade and in agriculture, when he hired a farm 
in Cambridge of Gov. Thomas Danforth, and died during his 
lease of it, on Dec. 8, 1694. He is therefore called in the 
Probate office John Whittemore, of Cambridge. 

His son Joseph was afterwards Capt. Joseph Whittemore, 
of Charlestown. [See Frothingham's History of Charlestown, 
p. 253.] He had a son Joseph, and a grandson Joseph. 
The last named Joseph, had a son Thomas, a chaise-maker, 
in Charlestown, who died in 1773, aged 33, leaving a be- 
reaved wife and a son [Joseph] who grew to manhood. The 
latter was the father of Rev. Thomas Whittemore, of Cam- 
bridge. And for nine years he carried on the business of a 
baker on the town hill in Charlestown, viz : from 1805 
to 1814, and in January of the latter year he died. His 
first six children were born in Boston, viz : Eliza, born 
14th Sept., 1794, died Dec. 7, 1795; Eliza, born 12 Feb., 
1796 ; Joseph, born 12th Dec, 1797, died in 1831 ; Thomas, 
born 1st Jan., 1800 ; Sarah Rand, born 18th March, 1803, 
died in 1833 ; Benjamin Bruce, born 5th Nov., 1805, died in 
1829. He had also three children born in Charlestown, viz : 
Abigail Riggs, born 22d Oct., 1807, and died Dec. 23, 1843 ; 
John MeClure, born 16th Jan., 1810; Alice Bruce, born 29th 
Nov., 1811, and died 22d Nov., 1812. 

We have thus traced out the descent of one branch of the 
family from the first Thomas Whittemore, of whom we have 
spoken. We have not room, even if the facts were all at 
hand, to trace out the other branches. The name of Whitte- 
more has been more prevalent, perhaps, in West Cambridge, 

* Middlesex Registry of Deeds, Lib. vi. p. 31, 291. 



244 

than id any other town. These persons descended from 
Thomas Whittemore, of Maiden, through his son Samuel. 
Old Capt. Samuel Whittemore, of West Cambridge, was the 
son of Samuel and the grandson of Thomas. He was the 
father of several sons, and the grandfather of Amos and 
William Whittemore, the celebrated card manufacturers. 

The Whittemores in Lancaster, Mass., are descended from 
Thomas, of Maiden, through his son Benjamin. The last 
named was born 1st Sept., 1669. He removed to Con- 
cord, Mass., where he died on the 8th Sept., 1734, aged 
65. The Rev. Aaron Whittemore, of Pembroke, N. H., 
was the son of the last named Benjamin, and the ances- 
tor of Judge Whittemore, and the families of the name in 
the vicinity of Pembroke. Rev. Aaron was born 1711, 
graduated at Harvard College 1734, ordained 1737, died 
16th Nov., 1767. 

Emerson. Joseph Emerson, first minister of Concord, 
Mass., was ordained in 1667, and remained in office eight 
years. He removed to Concord, and died there Jan. 3, 1680. 
He married Elizabeth, daughter of Rev. Edward Bulkeley, 
of Concord, Dec. 7, 1665. They had three sons ; Edward, 
a son of Joseph, married the daughter of Mr. Waldo, of 
Chelmsford, and removed to Newbury. Joseph, son of the 
preceding, was born at Chelmsford, April 20, 1700 ; gradu- 
ated at Harvard College 1717; was ordained at Maiden, 
Oct., 1721 ; married Dec, 1721, to Mary, daughter of Rev. 
Samuel Moody, of York. He had nine sons and four daught- 
ers. He died July 13, 1767. 

Among his sons, were Joseph, William, and John, who 
have already been noticed in another part of this volume. 
His son William was born May 21, 1743, was ordained at 
Concord in 1766, where he succeeded in the pastoral office 
to his great grandfather and to his great great grandfather. 
He had a son also named William, born at Concord, May 6, 
1769, ordained at Harvard, and settled in 1792, and afterwards 
settled as pastor of the First Church in Boston in 1799. Af- 
ter a bright and brief career, he died the 12th of May, 1811. 
His sons were William, Ralph Waldo, Edward Bulkeley, R. 
Bulkeley, and Charles Chauncey. 



245 

Cox. William Cocks, of Dorchester, was a Captain of 
Infantry at the taking of Louisburg ; and for his active ser- 
vice there, received a grant of land at Alt. Desert, Me. He 
married Thankful Alosely, a granddaughter of the Col. Alose- 
ly who was a commander in King Philip's war. They had 
ten children, Unite, William, Samuel, Jesse, James, Lemuel, 
Susannah, and three daughters, whose descendants have 
been almost without number. 

Unite Cocks, the oldest son of William and Thankful 
Alosely Cocks, was born at Dorchester. He settled in Alalden, 
and is ancestor of the numerous families of that name among 
us. He probably married here. He was a farmer, and his 
name is on the tax list dated 1759. He lived to a very great 
age. His children were, Lydia, Unite, Rhoda, Rebecca, and 
Betsy. 

Lydia Cox, daughter of Unite, married a Air. Dodge, of 
Salem, by whom she had a very numerous issue. 

Unite Cox, son of Unite Cox, of Alalden, married Hannah 
Sprague, daughter of Phineas Sprague, of Alalden. Their 
children were, 

Samuel, who died young ; 

Hannah, who married Edward Newhall, and had one child, 
Nathan Newhall, that died without issue ; 

Rebecca Cox, now living, married James Green, no issue ; 

Betsy Cox married Benjamin Alansfield, of Saugus, and 
had children, Benjamin and Eliza Alansfield ; parents and 
children all dead ; 

Samuel, twin brother of Unite, married Elizabeth Stanton, 
and had, Samuel Albert, married to Harriet Hall, of Chelsea ; 
George Parker, married to Alary Ann Morrison, of Boston; 
Eliza, died in infancy ; David Parker, married to Rebecca 
Ann Wait; Eliza Sprague, married to Joseph Warren Tufts, 
Jr. ; Joseph Warren, married to Hannah S. Hoar, of Little- 
ton ; Emeline Estes, married to Augustus Stiles; Alary 
Frances; Henry Augustus, died in infancy ; Henry Augus- 
tus, second of the name ; Auther Watson. 

Unite Cox, twin brother to Samuel, married Sally Wait, 
daughter of Deacon Samuel Wait, and had Samuel Wait, 
married to Hannah Woodbury, of Beverly ; Sarah ; Joseph 
Caswell, married to Alary A. Perkins; Martha Wait, married 
to John Currier; John Fletcher ; Emily; Franklin; Henry; 
Augustus. 



246 

Lemuel Cox, married first Lydia Harnden, and had Mary 
Hill, married to Adam Thompson ; Lydia H. ; Maria, married 
to Moses Sargeant ; Adaline Pierce ; Ellen Augusta ; Lemuel 
Cox then married a second time, Sarah O. Haven, and had 
Sarah Haven ; Lemuel Melville ; Franklin, deceased ; Be- 
thia Haven ; Emma, deceased ; Emma, second of the name. 

Mary Cox married James Howard, and had, Rebecca, 
married to G. H. Fall ; Mary, deceased ; Benson ; Mary, 
second of the name. 

James Cox married Lydia Dexter Sargeant, and had, Lydia 
Dexter; James, deceased; Sarah Sargeant ; Franklin, de- 
ceased ; Charles Davis, deceased ; William Watson Niles ; 
George Learned. 

John Cox married Lydia Andrews, of Weare, N. H., and 
had, John Andrews, married to Susan Steel, of Medford ; 
Charles Cole, married to Lucy Falkner ; Lydia, married to 
Joseph Mills ; Hannah, deceased ; Levi, married to Mary 
Ann Galeucia ; Rebecca Green ; Mary. 

Harriet Cox married John Vinton, and had, John, married 
to Charlotte Pierce ; James ; Phebe Ann ; Adeline. 

Howard. Three brothers of this name settled in Maiden 
above one hundred years since, and are the ancestors of this 
name in the place. One of these brothers, Nathaniel, mar- 
ried a Green of Maiden, and had three sons, Nathaniel, 
Amos, and Ezra. Amos, son of the first Nathaniel, married 
Hannah Lynde. Their children were, Betsy, Lydia, Phebe, 
Mary, Nancy, Jerusha, Amos, and Nathaniel. Amos, son of 
the first Amos, married Atalanta Pritchard of Medford. 
Their children were, Atalanta, James, William, Hannah, 
Nancy, Eliza, Nathaniel, and George. 

Dexter. The head of this family in Maiden was John 
Dexter, who purchased the farm known as the " Dexter farm," 
which continues in the hands of his descendants unto this 
day. He died Dec. 8, 1677. 

Their son, Dea. John Dexter, died Nov. 14, 1722, aged 
84. His wife was Winnifred, who died soon after him, Dec. 
5, 1722, aged 79. 

Their son, Capt. John Dexter, otherwise known as Deacon 
Dexter, died May 17, 1790, at the age of 85. His first wife 



247 

was Susannah, daughter of Winter Hewitt, Esq., of Marsh- 
field. She died March 9, 1735, aged 22 years and 8 months. 
Abigail, second wife of Capt. John Dexter, died Jan. 19, 
1746, aged 31. Her infant son John lies by her side. The 
third wife of Capt. Dexter, was Joanna Parker, who died 
Feb. 28, 1783 at the age of 69. 

Capt. Dexter had six children survive him. Susannah 
married Hezekiah Blanchard of Medford ; Winnifred mar- 
ried John Howard ; John Dexter married Sarah Hill, and 
died Oct. 28, 1798, aged 48, without children. Rebecca 
Dexter married Daniel Parker, Esq. She died in Boston, 
August, 1823. Bridget Dexter married Jeremiah Torrey, of 
Killingly, Conn., and died at the age of 60, leaving one 
daughter. 

Capt. Richard Dexter was born June 4, 1756 ; married 
Martha Hatch, daughter of Capt. Naylor Hatch, and died 
Nov. 3, 1842, aged 86 years and 5 months. Martha, his 
wife, died January 25, 1816, aged 58. 

The children of Capt. Richard Dexter were, Dr. George 
Dexter, living in Nova Scotia, Martha, Rebecca Parker, Rich- 
ard, deceased, Lucretia, deceased ; Samuel, died at sea ; 
Richard Dexter, last named, married Jerusha Baldwin, daugh- 
ter of Capt. J. Baldwin. Their children were Elizabeth, 
Richard, and Samuel. 

Lucretia Dexter, daughter of Capt. Richard Dexter, mar- 
ried Hobart Torrey. Their children were Hobart, Rebecca, 
and Frederick. 

Upham. John Upham, born 1597 ; admitted freeman at 
Weymouth ; married Elizabeth Webb. Came to Maiden 
about 1650. His children were Phineas ; Hannah, married 
to Mr. Long ; Nathaniel, married to Elizabeth Stedman, and 
died 1662 ; Mary, married to John Whittemore ; Elizabeth, 
married to Thomas Welch ; Priscilla, married to Thomas 
Croswell. 

Lieut. Phineas Upham, born 1635 ; married Ruth Wood 
in 1658 ; died in 1676, aged 41. His children were Phineas 
and John. 

Pea. Phineas Upham, son of John, was born 1650, and 
married Mary Mellins in 1682. Died in 1720, aged 62. 
His children were Phineas, born 1659 ; Nathaniel, born in 



248 

1661, and died Nov., 1717, aged 56 ; Ruth, born 1664, died 
1676 ; John, born Dec. 9, 1666 ; Elizabeth ; Richard ; 
Thomas. 

Dea. Phineas, son of Dea. Phineas, was born in 1683. 
Married Tamzen Hill in 1703. Their children were Tabi- 
tha, born in 1704; Mary, born in 1705; Phineas, born in 
1708, died 1738; Timothy, born 1710, died 1781; Isaac, 
born July, 1714; Jabez, born 1717, died 1760; Amos, born 
1718 ; Tamzen, born 1720 ; Sarah, born 1721 ; Jacob, born 
1723. 

John, son of Lieut. Phineas Upham, was born 1666 ; mar- 
ried Abigail Howard, Oct. 31, 1688, and died June 9, 
1733. His wife died 1777. Their children were, John, 
born 1690 ; Samuel, born 1691 ; Abigail, born 1698 ; David, 
born 1702. 

Samuel, son of John, was married 1691. His children 
were Mary, born 1716 ; Abigail, born 1718 ; Mercy, born 
1722 ; Samuel, born 1722 ; Jonathan, born 1724 ; Ebenezer, 
born 1726 ; Jacob, born 1729 ; Phebe, born 1731 ; John, 
born 1733 ; William, born 1735. The three latter died 
young. This Samuel was the great grandfather of Hon. Wil- 
liam Upham, United States Senator from Vermont. 

Sweetser. Seth, made freeman at Charlestown in 1638, 
was doubtless one of the " Mystic North side men." 

Seth, one of his descendants, graduated at Harvard Col- 
lege in 1722, and died Jan. 15, 1778, aged 74. 

The father of Mrs. Hannah Lynde, widow of the late 
Nathan Lynde, was a Seth Sweetser, from whom she inherited 
the estate whereon she was born and still lives, at a very 
advanced age. 

Felt. George Felt was born in 1601. He lived twenty- 
one years on a plantation at Great Cove, in Casco Bay, from 
whence he was driven by the Indians. He died at Maiden 
in 1693. This is the person to whom allusion is made under 
the head of Pauperism, as the first on record whose subsist- 
ence was made a public charge. He appears to have been 
once in good circumstances ; but had been reduced to pov- 
erty by the Indian wars. 

George Felt, probably a son of his, was slain by the Indi- 
ans at, or near, Mount Joy's Island, in Maine, Sept. 1676. 



249 

Hubbard, in his History of the Indian War, says that he was 
much lamented, and that he had been more active than any 
other man in those parts, against the Indians. Some highly 
respectable persons are known to be descended from this 
family. 

Carrtngton. Edward, was admitted freeman in Charles- 
ton iu 1636. He was one of the principal men on Mystick 
North side at the time of the incorporation of Maiden. He 
took a prominent part with the church in this place in their 
affairs pertaining to the ministry of Rev. Marmaduke Math- 
ews. It appears by an old document, that he was living in 
Maiden, in active business, so late as 1681. He probably 
died here. His wife's name was Elizabeth. The family 
appear to have removed to Connecticut. Four of the name, 
Edward, Samuel, Abijah, and George have graduated at 
Yale College. 

Tufts. The common ancestor of the Americans who 
bear the name of Tufts, was born in Europe, in 1617. As 
the first emigrants to Massachusetts seem to have been exclu- 
sively English, and Mr. Tufts was one of them, it is inferred 
that he was a native of England, and that he came from 
Maiden, or from its vicinity, there ; and, moreover, that our 
town might have received its present name from him, as he 
was in the beginning of the settlement of the place, the prin- 
cipal landholder in it. He probably came to this country 
between 1638 and 1640. He kept the " Penny Ferry " 
where Maiden Bridge now stands, in 1646. In 1654 he is 
registered as a Juryman in the Court Record books of Mid- 
dlesex county. In 1664, he bought of Mrs. Nowell, exe- 
cutrix of Increase Nowell, two hundred acres of land in 
Charlestown, at a place called Mystic-fields. This tract of 
land is now in Mcdford ; and much of it is still owned by 
his posterity. He lived in Maiden at the time of this pur- 
chase ; and afterwards bought a large farm of about three 
hundred acres on the Northerly side of Mystic River, of 
Richard Russell's executors ; also, several other pieces of land. 
In 1677, a law of the Colony obliged towns to appoint Tyth- 
ingmen to inspect the different families, and for that purpose 
they were divided into districts of ten or twelve families. 

18 



250 

Peter Tufts, Sen., was Tythingman or Overseer, to look after 
the morals of the district of Maiden. * The will of Mr. T. 
is dated March 1, 1693, at which time he was 74 years of 
age. He died May 13, 1700, aged 83, and lies buried in the 
old Maiden burying-ground. His grave-stones, made prob- 
ably in England, are still in good preservation. He was a 
man of large property, and of good and honored character. 
His wife was born in 1628, and died in 1703, aged 75 ; and 
lies buried near him. 

The children of Peter were Peter, afterwards known as Capt. 
Peter of Medford, and who lies buried in that town ; John, 
Jonathan, Mary, Elizabeth, Mercy, and Sarah. These daugh- 
ters were all connected with Maiden families. Mary married 
an Edes, Elizabeth a Lynde, Mercy a Waite, and Sarah an 
Oakes. Perses and Lydia, two other daughters, unmarried, 
died about 1683. 

John, second son of Peter, was born in 1665. His chil- 
dren, as appears by his will made May 9, 1727, were, John 
(deceased) Nathaniel, Peter, Benjamin, Mary, Thomas, and 
Stephen. The name of his wife was Mary Putnam. He 
died in 1728, aged 63, and lies buried in Maiden, near his 
father. 

Thomas and Stephen, the two youngest sons of John,«took 
the homestead farm in Maiden, jointly. Stephen was born in 
1711. He was a minor at the time of his father's death ; 
and his guardians were relatives, Jonathan and Joseph Tufts. 
Stephen left no will. He died Dec. 3, 1781, aged 77, and is 
buried near his ancestors in Maiden. 

Stephen had three sons, David, Timothy, and Stephen. 
This last Stephen, great grandson of the emigrant Peter, was 
born in 1748. He built the house long afterwards occupied 
by the Tufts family, and more recently by Mr. Caleb New- 
ton, and lately removed to u,ive place to the Wanalancet Tube 
Factory. He died in 1832, aged 84 years, and is buried, 
also, with his fathers. 

The children of Stephen are, Stephen, Simon, and Joseph 
Warren, Hannah, Nancy, Sarah, Mary, and Rebecca. Han- 
nah married Isaac Shute ; Nancy, James Watkins ; Sarah, 
Edward Newhall ; all of Maiden ; — and Mary, Freeman 

* Frothingham's History of Charlestown. 



251 

Cole, now residing in Patterston, N. J. Stephen's will is 
dated in October, 1823. 

Stephen Tufts, first son above named, was born in Maiden, 
and settled in West Cambridge. His children were, John, 
Stephen, Otis, (died young,) Otis second, Lucy, Sarah, Eliza 
Ann, Hannah. Lucy married Charles Simonds, and Sarah, 
Lorenzo Newhall, and Hannah, Luther White. Stephen, the 
the father of these children, died in West Cambridge. The 
only son now living is Otis, of Boston. 

The other Tufts families in Maiden are doubtless, direct 
descendants of the original Peter. Nathaniel, Ebenezer, 
(deceased) Edward, and Thomas Tufts of Maiden, are de- 
scendants of Stephen, youngest son of John, and grandson 
of the first Peter. 

A large tract of the original Tufts' land on " Medford 
Plains," is now in the possession of Mr. Dudley Hall, a de- 
scendant of the Maiden patriarch. There are other and large 
branches of this family in the neighboring towns of Medford, 
Charlestown, Somerville, and Cambridge. 



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